Amber Memories, Forgotten
by darkycloud
Summary: How long would one live in deception and allow one to be deceived upon? Would you want to retrieve back your memories now that you have tasted happiness? TykiOC -Chapter 24: How deep is your love that it hurts?-
1. The Sun Sets, Night Arrives

**A****mber Memories, Forgotten **

**-**_**The Sun Sets, Night Arrives-**_

Rating: Teen; _unless otherwise stated_

Disclaimer: Hoshino owes characters _except my OCs

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_A Noah perceives things only by their physical appearance and their value. These things, be it human or__ objects, wanted or unwanted, are judged by their significance and are generally chucked aside when they are no longer of use. They mean nothing and have their value used up easily. We lacked the basic emotions to feel, to love and to hate. Yet that had what I used to believe in till I met you_.

_The__ place had been serene as usual since there were no groups of people clad in black who appeared occasionally so as to mourn for their lost loved ones. It had been this place which she had enjoyed the most, and perhaps it was this place which he would enjoy being the most too. The fact that it buried their secret made him treasure this field all the more, no matter it was just a blade of grass, a stalk of wild flower or a drop of rainfall. It was a place that only revolved around the two of them._

_Tyki Mikk__ was lying down on the damp soil, ignoring the damage nature was doing to his finely tailored suit, as his limbs stretched out and wide. Pressing his face down onto the cool moist ground as he rolled over, it looked like he was trying to hold on to the soil forever, which was not too far away from what he had wanted to do. _

_He inhaled deeply. Usually, it would smell of nothing but soil and weeds; but now and then when the rain and season permitted, __**he got the barest scent of sweet maple apple and of softness, as if she was still here- complete and in his embrace.**_

_Our promise; I'm so sorry._

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The rain had begun to fall by the time she got into the carriage to be brought to her destination by her chauffeur. It started to fog up their vision as each drop of rain accumulated to form a heavy shower. That was when they were forced to stop, and that was when she had seen him.

Rubbing her eyes to confirm if what she had seen was not an illusion, she requested for a parasol from her chauffeur cum butler, Charles, opened the door with a satin gloved hand and stepped onto the wet asphalt ground. She ignored the latter when he protested against her getting out of the carriage, and instead began to walk towards the person in particular, slowing down as she approached him. Her heart thumped profusely with each step nearer to him- though she was well aware that it was most probably an illusion or a mistake. _She just had to confirm._

The person was shifting his feet uncomfortably in the rain-soaked ground, but there was a determination that she sensed in him to stay put wherever he was. Could he be waiting _for her?_

There was a mistake, she realized, when she was finally next to him. Rain seemed to stop in their presence with that umbrella of hers- as if there were some sort of special power. Her heart sunk heavily into a hollow pit when he looked back up at her. Blond hair, pale skin, and a clinical mask hiding half of this delicate feature, he resembled her brother, if not for those blue eyes that gave him away. _He_ had black eyes from their mother.

"Thank you," the little boy said shyly as he looked up at her, before having his attention diverted by the parasol. His big eyes glimmered as if he had never seen such an elaborated object before.

She laughed softly in reply and patted the boy's head unconsciously before removing her hand hastily when she found that all too familiar. These were the exact habits she had on her little brother. But this was not him, ain't it? Chuckling gently in an attempt to hide the awkwardness, she bent down to meet his eyes. "Boy, are you lost?"

The little boy nodded his head. "Kind of, but Ezzz's waiting for…"

"Ezzz!" A voice rang out from the misty rain, and it parted like a veil to reveal three men in rugged clothes. "There you are! Good to see you waiting for us here. Now, don't you go wandering about again," coaxed one of them as he patted the little boy's head, messing up his soft blonde hair. Noticing that there was someone else present, the man stood up suddenly and knocked into the umbrella immediately. He was so much taller, she realized. "I'm so sorry, Miss. You are…?"

"My lady, please, your father would be furious if he were to see you with such company…" muttered Charles with a hurried tone as he joined them with his black umbrella.

"It's okay, Charles," she shrugged him off and turned to face the rest. "I was wondering what happened to your little friend, _Ezzz- am I right,_ here since he was all alone and standing in the heavy rain."

"Oh thanks for the concern," drawled the same man who had spoken just now. "Now we're ready to go since our presence seems to bring much disgrace to you."

"No, please. Let me, _let my chauffeur_, bring you to your destination. The rain's too heavy for any kind of walking." She said in a hurry, in a tone that seemed to indicate that she did not want to be separated from the little boy just yet.

"We're not that low to require such charity, Miss."

"No, I am considering the health of this little boy here, _Sire_."

Charles shuddered with disapproval as he pulled the reins of his horse. He knew very well that his lady would be able to handle the matter well should any incident happen inside the cabin, but the idea of his elegant lady being confined in a small space with three and a half unkempt men still disturbed him.

"So, you work in mines?" asked his ladyship coolly. Her voice was gentle and laced lightly with concern- she was directing the question at the little boy. _She still had not yet gotten over his death, hadn't she?_ The thought made Charles even more upset as he tried to tune out their conversation and focus on the horses at hand.

A deep hoarse voice answered his lady- it was the same man. "Yes, and I suppose you have a problem with that?" Now that they were out away from the rain, she noticed that his eyes, unlike those clear blue ones of Ezzz, were covered by spectacles so foggy that it seemed impossible to even see anything with it. Was he blind? Her eyes scanned through his features discreetly before drifting her gaze to a particular droplet of water that still lingered at the curve of his neck, following it as it slide down in to the shallow valley between his chest muscles. Her cheeks flushed immediately when she realized where she had been looking and diverted her attention out of the carriage window.

"No, of course not," she muttered as she regained her posture, "I was just wondering why those high society officials are not enforcing the law on child labor well enough."

The man grunted with a sarcastic laugh. "And you believe they would? You seem to be living in a rather protected environment."

"Of course not, I just…"

"I believe that you assume that we are abusing Ezzz then."

The young lady looked up in protest. "No, it's just…"

Once again, the man snorted in disgust. "Then we're sorry that we have disappointed you, Miss. We do not make Ezzz work in those mines."

"I didn't mean it that way…"

"Then what is it?" The bespeculated man said sternly; his voice quivering with irritation.

The other two men were now sitting up straight, "Oi, there's a better way to treat a lady." It was strange to see Tyki getting angry by a female- he was famous for twirling them around his finger.

"I know that Ezzz does not work," She paused for a brief second, her tone still stable and nonchalant, showing no obvious unhappiness over the man's attitude. "There are no calluses on his hands."

He shrugged his shoulder and ignored them. Her voice was not at all frightened, but instead was more apologetic that she had made them felt that way. It had made his guts tighten with guilt a little, but he had despised her at first sight- she was just some hypocritical high society lady attempting to do some what she perceived as 'charitable deeds' to the poor. His eyes roamed around the interior of the cabin, it was as expected from someone of the high society, yet he could not help but notice a rifle tucked neatly behind the seat- she hunts? Which decent lady would mingle with vagabonds like them? Which respectable lady would allow herself to…

"_Why do you wear satin gloves with your riding habit?" _It had been Ezzz who asked the question.

Giving a slight gasp, she glanced at her hands before looking down at her clothes. It was strange alright, elegant satin gloves with hunting clothes of boots and white shirt. Laughing, she smiled. "I have to head off somewhere after this."

"My lady," called out Charles as the horse began to slow down. "We've reached."

The carriage finally came to a halt and the group of men alighted. Glancing up at the kind lady with the pretty thing that was able to stop rain, Ezzz grinned beneath the mask and thanked her shyly while she resisted the urge to mess up that blonde hair of his.

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_How was one suppose__d to forget the person you love so easily when there are little parcels of reminders that contained nothing but deceptions and illusions? How was I supposed to forget the moments we shared?_

_I should have treasure you when I could, shouldn't I?_

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_A/N:_ That's the first chapter for now, and yes I left out the OC's name deliberately. The first few sentences in each chapters are actually conversations between Tyki and OC, while the titles for each chapter- that's something to be solved. Hope you enjoyed this different setting I have of this new story. I'm giving Tyki my perspective of him as a miner since not much was revealed by the author so he's a little snappy when he's unhappy. _How is it? _


	2. Stars Would Shine, Warmth Shared

**Amber**** Memories, Forgotten**

**-**_**Stars would Shine, Warmth Shared-**_

_It seemed that__ you always brought out the opposite aspect of me _

_No matter what life I would be living then. _

_The anger in a human even though I was supposed to be carefree, _

_T__he passion in a monster even though I was, well, supposed to be a monster._

_You would have ru__n away from a monster, wouldn't you?_

_Or would you have fought back?_

_But __I would have made sure that you ran in circles_

_Such that you'd come back, never leaving me._

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"You're late, Sister…" complained a lady in a fine deep green gown which plunged down a little at the bust to the maximum of what had been expected as decent as she shook a disapproving finger at her sister.

"_My lady, Miss had been…"_

"It's okay Charles, no excuses is needed for my late appearance. I'm late," muttered the younger lady as her eyes roamed around the room. Boredom was written all over her face. This was a great ballroom, no doubt, with the great chandeliers- like thousands of crystals sewn to hoop skirts- hanging from a ceiling embossed with gold arcs and white marble. And of course, those pretentious aristocrats dotting the place with their spastic smiles that threatened to outshine those crystal wine flasks they were holding on to. Their facial features were hidden under their masquerade masks, which were concealing their hidden agendas. She was used to such social manners, but it never fail to make her stomach recoil all the same.

_Yet wasn't she the same as them too? People living behind a mask__; that was what being human was all about. _

"That is not the attitude here, Sister, and look at what you are wearing," chided the lady as she placed a gloved hand on her younger sibling's shoulder. The latter took a glance at what she was wearing- just a simple gown, and raised her eyebrow nonchalantly. She nodded her head a little when the old butler indicated that he was to take his leave now.

"My dear sister, there may be a good chance that you will meet someone meant for you here, you know."

The latter only managed a sarcastic laughter. "_Hmm._ Seriously; it does not mean that the whole world should be attached and engaged because you are living in your happily-ever-after."

The older lady shook her head disapprovingly as she fanned herself with one of those fanciful fans made from ostrich feathers that her younger sister often cringed at. They were of a deep blue color that had the same hue as the ocean and same shade as her mask which as usual complimented her eyes. "Of course, I adore my husband." She smiled a blissful grin but decided to be charitable and not to bombard the younger girl with her romantic love stories. "Anyway, we're attending a reputable ball after all. There are important people around- Oh! There's Duchess from the…"

Rolling her eyes at the unfinished sentence, the younger lady walked off to the side balcony in order to seek some peace. The ballroom may be big but the amount of polite laughter and greetings in here was sufficient to suffocate her. _As if her corset was not competent enough to take her breath away_, she grumbled and began to swirl the red wine in her flask, picturing it as a hurricane that could sweep her away. Her mask lingered a little down her face and below her chin as she peered out of the room into the sky. Time seemed to be crawling as slow as those clouds on the pale blue sky. She would certainly have preferred being in the rain as she was just now before rushing to such a pretentious event. What a waste of time.

"I see that the party has not interest you much, _my lady_."

A deep intimate yet intimidating voice from the back startled her a little and it took much effort from her not to turn around, grab the man by his throat and dig her fingers in. _It must be one of those bored and desperate man requesting for a dance;_ she tried to calm herself down and allowed her lips to curl upwards like those found on the others that she had so despised upon as she turned around. She had managed to chase away a few and would do it again. "I'm not sure, Sire. Different people have different appeals. If you're looking for a dance companion, I'm afraid exhaustion has reduced my ability to."

Chuckling, the man combed his free hand through his curly hair. His eyes were concealed by an elaborated monochrome mask that complimented his almond brown eyes that appeared so dark.

"I guess not even host's rights could make you move with the music, eh?"

That response surprised the lady and she bit her lips a little. While it was alright to be rejecting people requesting for dances, denying a host- _Mr. Camelot, in this case_- of his rights would bring much shame and unhappiness to her father. Sighing softly as she passed her wine to an approaching waiter, she let the host took her by hand and led her onto the dance floor, hoping that it would end as soon as possible.

The dance had not been as short as she had hoped for. The song they were moving along to have such a slow beat that she was sure her heels were dragging along the marble floor. Embarrassingly, she only realized after stepping onto the dance floor that her mask was not on her face- so much for a masquerade. The young lady could sense that Minister Camelot's gaze was burning on her all the time. Flames could only provide warmth to a limited extent before hurting someone. Although it was not in the sexual way, it made her itch with discomfort and the yearning to get away grew incredulously with each passing step and their little conversations tasted strange on her tongue.

And that particular way his hand was placed over her back… even colorful words could not fill the void.

"It had been nice dancing with you, _my lady,_" thanked the charismatic host as he bowed and placed a chaste kiss on her hand bidding goodbye, before leaving to mingle with the crowd to fulfill his duties to entertain the others. Her eyes lingered over where he had dissolved into- his hair curly and combed back appropriately, while his dress shoes were made from luxurious leather cladding away, his coat tail swaying handsomely after him.

Just then, a soft series of giggles that bubbled underneath the surface came crawling passed her ears.

The young lady turned around immediately to only be greeted by an all-too-happy lady draped in her green silk. Cocking her head at an angle, she reckoned her older sister with a look that questioned the smug on the latter's face.

"What are you up to again?" said the young sister acidly, her fingers waving to a passing waiter for her beverage back.

"Nothing in particular," said her sister as she acted coy. The fan in her hands waved a little, as if it was blushing from shame. "It's just great that our dear **Kaeda** only look for the crop of the cream."

The young lady almost strangled the other Amber girl. "There's nothing, Sis. Mr. Camelot was just having his host's rights."

Chuckling, Kaeda's sister placed her hand over the former's bare shoulder yet again. _"_Minister Camelot's married, my dear."

The visible shock- _the way the man treated her just now was certainly unacceptable for a married man-_ that overwhelmed Kaeda was even more prominent as she revealed the truth and that made her sister laugh even harder.

"**That sire you had been dancing with had been his brother- **_**Lord Tyki Mikk**__. Isn't he just so charming?"_

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	3. Around You, My Heart Beats

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

**-**_**Around You, My Heart Beats-**_

_It had been unspoken words traded between us._

_You would have never told me, _

_Wouldn't you?_

_That name, it sounds so sweet that it shreds my heart. _

_I should have known when you were bleeding in my embrace. _

_Shouldn't I?_

_And boy, did your butler piss__ me off._

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The dark alley shone no light expect for a few clumsy street lamps that seemed to be only flickers away before they would cease to work. The miners were exhausted and hungry, having just completed a long day of work and were now moving on to next station, heading towards the train station. Shuffles made by their footsteps were all that could be heard in the dark night as the streets were abandoned and all that was left were dust and old structures. Not a sign of life could be seen, that was.

_Argh._

"Ah-!" exclaimed the young boy, the only children in the traveling group, suddenly as his small fingers quickly grasped onto the sleeves of the man next to him. "Ezzz- Ezzz _hears_ something!"

"What is it, Ezzz?" answered the man; his voice guffawed and tired though gentle. The boy was often terrified by imaginary noises and movements. Really, if the boy was to participate in some creative writing workshop, he would have easily taken the first prize.

"There's… a sound coming from that side, Tyki," muttered Ezzz as he pointed into the darkness. His voice seemed to be consumed by the darkness before being regurgitated back to them, making the man's name repeat involuntarily- _echo._ It seemed to make the atmosphere even creepier.

"Don't be silly. There is nothing-" The man paused suddenly as thoughts of monsters clad in gray armors and ready to kill appeared in his mind. _No_, he reassured himself, they would not appear with his presence unless called upon.

_Argh__h._

The sudden noise that pounced from the darkness sent all three and half a men skipping more than a heartbeat. It could not have been an illusion if all four of them heard it, wasn't it. The gloomy, wintry and hungry mood must have made them all hallucinate. Or was it?

_Argghh._

"Tyki!" yelled the boy as his grasp on the latter's sleeves tightened.

The latter only patted Ezzz's head gently and fussed over his blonde hair. "We'll check it out. Come on, Momo. Crack, stay with Ezzz."

"..Sure," muttered Momo as he dragged his feet after his bespeculated friend.

"There is no such thing as ghost," said Tyki amusedly.

"_No such thing_…" repeated Momo as if he was trying to reassure himself. The worried tone in his voice continued while the two ventured into the darkness where the voice seemed to originate from. The sound was getting louder; the pain- _like all banished monsters who were in some sort of agony caused by a missing eye or jutting jaw-_ was getting even more evident. Just then a shadow appeared out of the sudden, like an ant hill jutting out from a flat plain, and it seemed to be ignorant of its company.

Momo began to retreat backwards much to Tyki's bemusement. There were no such things as ghosts, only _Akumas _that were instructed to kill.

The object that caused the shadow soon came into light under those badly lit street lamps, and it began to unroll its bent body to form a proper human form, even though it was obviously in pain as one of its upper limb was placing its weight on those peeling walls.

A smirk crept over Tyki's lips. With his habitual gesture, he moved up the spectacles which were sliding off his nose and began to take large though cautionary steps towards the human. Whatever it was, it was alone and seemed to pose not much danger since it was injured.

Then it hit him. It had been a soft light scent that went undetected by his instinct, but as he approached near the object, the distinctive scent only got stronger and it was now so strong that he could barely hide his excitement. He looked hard at the human upon him, bent as it winched in pain, bleeding and dripping burgundy liquid onto the arid dusty ground. The moisture was quickly absorbed by the ground, as if the latter was a predator which had been waiting for the prey to fall expectantly and consume it in a snap.

"_Who_- who are you?" muttered the voice, as if each word took much effort to be mouthed and said.

Tyki's eyes lit up in surprise, away from the blood, and ran through the unknown human. By now, Ezzz and Crack had already made their way up next to him. There was an atmosphere of tension as the three and a half men wondered about the person. Shouldn't they be asking that question instead? It seemed, frail and soft as the voice might be, that the human was female- yet which lady in the right mind would be caught dead in such an abandoned street?

"Who are you?" The voice repeated once again, this time louder and alarmed. Her question was reflected by the walls and empty alleys, sounding even more desperate and demanding.

Then she began to run.

"Wait-!" shouted one of the men as they began to give chase, disturbed by the trail of blood the lady was leaving behind. It was too dark, too much, too painful to even look at the splatters. It must have been a severe injury for her to bleed so much, wasn't it? Yet the lady was running at a rapid rate, so fast that they were already panting half a street later. The group of men were about to give up when the lady, small as her shadow may be, began to slow down. She was bending even lower than she had been, as if the pain was too much for her to even straighten her back. One of her hands was clenching to her side while the other was on her head, struggling to find a support as her feet shuffled across the filthy ground to the nearest wall.

"Hey-!" cried out Tyki as he dashed to the lady. He had expected the lady to faint any moment after the run, but it shocked him nonetheless when the weight landed lightly into his arms, the faint rhythm from her frail body paling in comparison to his strong and firm heartbeat. He realized, as he peered down at the face concealed partially with hair matted with blood, that he recognized those features.

**It was her, **_**yet again.**_

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	4. Much Faster Than My Footsteps

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

_**-Much Faster than my Footsteps-**_

_It had been you for taught me what living is all about,_

_Do you remember?_

_This ugly yet beautiful world would have been nothing without you._

_I would rather spend a day with someone I love,_

_Then to suffer a hundred days with someone I love not. _

_So, please, come back to me.

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"So it does seem that she doesn't remember us then," muttered Crack as he shuffled the current stack of cards in his hands. He prayed for good luck and soon began to distribute the cards to the other two men. The little boy in their company was by the lady's side, observing her as her body moved with her breathing.

Tyki inhaled deeply from his cigarette before sighing out the smoke. He tapped the stick a little so that the ash could drop and took a glance at Ezzz, turning his head as he did so. He appeared so concerned over the lady. The latter was badly injured, and her head had taken quite some time to stop the bleeding. It had been almost two weeks since they met in the rain. Why was it then that the two times he had seen her she was in his two completely different lives? And it was once again as a miner that he could see her in her riding habit- _was that all her life consisted of? _

"I wouldn't be surprised if a high society lady like her would fail to recognize us though," said the bespeculated man. He was not lying, in a way, as the lack of recognition and emptiness in her eyes when he saw her the previous night showed that there was something more than what it was. He accepted the cards from Crack and cursed at his luck- those bad cards must have been symbolic.

"But-" all three men looked up immediately. Ezzz had not been talking since they brought the lady with them to the train. It was a haste decision made by all of them since they had to rush for the last train and it was inhumane to just leave the woman by her own. "-Ezzz don't believe that Missus doesn't remember us! Maybe her head injury had induced her inability to remember anything?"

Tyki sighed. "There's nothing we can do if she doesn't remember us. Then again, what are we to do with this girl? We are poor miners, barely able to meet our daily needs to even feed another mouth."

"Miss can help out!" burst Ezzz as he looked upon Tyki with large pleading eyes. "Perhaps not with mining, but Ezzz's sure Missus will be able to help out domestically! Ezzz- Ezzz doesn't mind a sister figure…"

"But she is from the gentry-"

Momo smiled as he drew out one of his cards. "I wouldn't mind to find a female in our testerone-dominated group too. It would be nice for Ezzz to have someone accompanying him while we work, that is."

"And we are presuming that she lost her memories to be wandering around injured, that is? That's atrocious," said Tyki. A curse flew out from his mouth carelessly once again when he saw what card Momo had given out. Bad things really come in a package.

Crack grinned as he laid down his cards- a strike. "You seemed to be pretty unhappy with her, dude. Even if she did not lose her memories, her injuries would force her to stay with us for the time being, wouldn't it?"

"YES!" yelled Ezzz as he leaped into the air, carelessly touching the patient propped uncomfortably against the carriage wall.

"…_Hmm…"_

"Time for us to find out," hushed Crack as the group diverted their attention to her.

"_This is-"_ muttered the lady before sitting up straight all of the sudden and her eyes opened in disbelief and confusion. "_Where am I…?"_

"You shouldn't sit up instantly after a sleep," said Tyki nonchalantly as he caught the lady who swayed sideway in his arms to stabilize her when giddiness kicked in. Gently, he propped her head lightly against the wall and took back his seat on the floor. "We're in a train."

"I..." stuttered the young woman as she regained her composure. Her eyes flickered as she observed the cabin full of males. "Do I know you- you people?"

"'_Told you she wouldn't remember us."_

"Tyki, quiet please," chided Crack before turning his attention to the newcomer. "Don't you remember us, Missus?"

"Missus…?" pondered the lady. Her black eyes were on the boy yet her gaze passed through him. "Is that my name?"

The question sent the guys staring at Tyki as a smirk spread on each individual's face slowly. Each grin on their face seemed like a knife that would take a huge slice at Tyki's ego.

"Excuse us while we discuss something, young lady," said Momo as he pushed all his friends out of the cabin, leaving the latter staring after them, before she diverted her gaze out of the window, where the leaves on random deciduous trees were already brown.

**It was autumn already, wasn't it?**

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"I suppose we have proven our point here, Tyki," said Crack as he slid the door closed behind them. "She has to stay with us then."

Tyki rolled his eyes and took another puff of his cancer stick. The idea that they had abandoned their round of poker for a woman annoyed him. A sarcastic laugh escaped from him. He cocked an eyebrow and stared at his friends intensely. "And which proper lady would hang out with a group of vagabonds then?"

The silence from them marked the victory he was long fighting for. Tyki smiled, satisfied. "_So now all we need to do is to-"_

"Wait," exclaimed Ezzz as he gripped Tyki's sleeves excitedly. "If we make Missus our family, that would be a different thing, isn't it?"

Tyki tried to control the fire in his eyes as he diverted his attention to the young boy. "And who would it be? Your eyes are too blue to be connected to her, Momo obviously has different skin from her and…"

"You, Tyki!" continued Ezzz as his eyes dazzled with elation. "Tyki's black hair and dark brown eyes would be perfect!"

"_I…"_stumbled the bespeculated man, flabbergasted by the young boy's words.

"Our little friend here does say the wisest things, doesn't he?" laughed Crack as he gave the dumbfounded Tyki a smack on his back. "Brother, you do have a good sister waiting inside, eh? Now go in and clear things up, Bro. Hold on a minute," stopped the lad as he looked at Tyki. "What's the name of your sister? It can't be Missus forever."

A long and heavy sigh came out of Tyki as he shrugged his shoulders. This debate was getting nowhere and his short-termed victory was now seeping quickly through his fingers. The cigarette between his fingers was getting shorter and shorter without him realizing it as thoughts overcrowded his brain.

"ARGH…" he yelled when the stick finally burnt his fingers. Tyki stomped on it when it landed on the floor with a sizzle that annotated mischief. "_Aki_ then," drawled the bespeculated man as he walked off with smoke fuming out of his head literally.

The group laughed as they too watched how the little pile of ash crumpled into dust.

"_I don't understand,"_ shouted Momo cheekily after the man as he disappeared behind the door, "how someone who normally enjoys the company of females could be so cold when it was he who treated and bandaged her wounds!"

_Until this moment, I had never realized that someone could break your heart twice, along the very same fault line. Didn't they say that lightning never strikes the same place twice? Or was it supposed to be different with falling stars?

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	5. Tonight I Will Follow You

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

_**-Tonight I will follow You-**_

_A/N:_ This chapter and the following would be presented in parts and parcels of the moments the characters spend time together. And yes, Hoshino did mention that Tyki favoured fish as food(:

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_If only you hadn't creep silently into my life, all this would not have happened. _

_It would even have been easier to forget you then._

_The frozen heart inside my body, the way you thaw it down; _

_Should I be thanking or hating you for that?_

_Our promise, how can I ever forget it?

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_

"Hmm, that smells good."

Ezzz turned around to find a lady in misfitting clothes gazing kindly down at him. Blushing, he smiled. "_Thanks,_ that's what Tyki said this morning too. Is Aki feeling better now?"

Shruggling her shoulders, Aki sighed and patted her bandaged waist and forehead. "I guess so, where are the rest?"

"Working already," Ezzz murmuered. "They decided to let Aki sleep in but Ezzz didn't expect Aki to wake only at this time."

"Sorry, I didn't expect it to be so late. Do you need help with dinner? I don't cook last time, do I?"

The boy nodded his head a little, yet his hair was so soft that it swayed despite the slow gesture. Was this considered a lie? He did not know, and feared what else Aki would ask. They had only explained that Aki injured herself and thus lost her memories, with Tyki the brother and the rest all worried and such. While she had accepted it well, there were still times when she would pose questions that they had to lie in order to answer. Then again, wasn't this all just a lie?

The silence made Aki stared at him a little, her focus drifting from him to something else. The soft light that bounced off from his blonde hair somehow seemed nostalgic to her. What was that strange tight feeling in her chest?

"_Aki – aki?" _

Aki shook her head to clear her head. "_Um..._ ya? Why don't I help you with the coffee since dinner is pretty much done with?" She wandered hastily to the stove, took the kettle and began to boil the water from the fire that Ezzz had left behind, rinsed the cups and brewed coffee.

"_Hey, we're back!"_ A loud chuckle signaled the men's arrival as the door closed with a slam behind them. _"Dinner smells good!"_

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* * *

_

"She wasn't as pampered as you thought she was, wasn't she?" yelled Momo across the small room as he splashed another pail of water on himself. The three of them were bathing after dinner, laughing and chatting despite the freezing water they had to clean themselves with. "You were expecting her to throw up all those simple food whenever she placed them in her mouth, expecting her to be uncomfortable with washing the dishes, and hardly able to cook, wasn't it?"

Tyki laughed acidly. "Dinner was made by Ezzz, and the coffee made by her tasted like beans soaked in water."

"I thought that was what coffee was all about," chuckled Crack and Momo. "But I do have to say that I'm surprised she accepted the simple dinner as it was."

"She's not a simple character," drawled Tyki as he put his pail down with clack. "I'm getting out of here."

The two only continued their conversation about Aki and ignored Tyki, whom they felt was not appreciating some female company in this group even though he was the fortunate one. They laughed as they talked about the coffee Aki made, feeling that she was blending into their lifestyle pretty well. Their plan was going well, after all.

"_AH!!!"_

Momo and Crack immediately stopped the water from running and stared at each other. That scream obviously came from a lady and it sounded as if she would have torn down the sky to avoid whatever she had encountered. Then a smirk crept over their face and they burst out laughing when a much naked and wet Tyki dashed back into the room, face flushed and water still dripping from his hair. The slam that the door had made threatened to knock the whole house down.

"I guess we all know what happened, Tyki!" roared the pair as they stared at their friend who had only a small piece of cloth to provide him with much needed decency. "It's not okay for a sister to see her brother's full glory too, eh?"

Annoyed at being their amusement, Tyki threw the cloth at them. It had been their habit to walk out straight after bathing without a care for the world, but it had been his luck to be the first one to get out of the room and see her walking straight to his direction. "I told you having a girl in our company was a mistake," he grumbled.

* * *

The sun had not been up yet by the time they were awake, yet it never was as they had to head to the mines in the wee morning. Holding some bandages and a piece of cloth, he opened the door with as little noise as possible and walked into the dark. Taking some time for his eyes to adapt to the change of lighting, he managed to make out the two sleeping bodies and made his way to the larger one. The guys had given up the only sleeping room for the two of them last night, and were now all preparing to head for work. Since Ezzz did not sleep with them and they had to wake up at an earlier time for this particular mine, breakfast was to be made by Momo and Crack while he was to tend to Aki's injury. He was the only one who knew basic first-aid, anyway.

"_Hey Aki_," whispered Tyki as he tapped gently at the latter's shoulder and waited for her to rouse from her slumber. She took quite some time as she stretched her body and opened her eyes to adapt in the dark, and was startled when she realised that he had been next to her all these while.

"_Bro-"_

"Quiet," hushed the latter. "_Don't wake Ezzz up._ We'll be coming home later tonight so I thought that I'll change your bandages first. Is it-" Tyki stopped when he saw how silent Aki had become. Then he realised what had been wrong and gave an awkward laughter. "I'm sorry that I scared you by walking out of the washroom just like that, but-"

"No, it's okay," said Aki as she turned to gaze at Ezzz. She wondered hard if he could see the colour that was burning her cheeks at the moment. That was not the matter. She had only realised suddenly that her bandages were all handled by her _brother._ Yet the idea of him coiling the cloth around her waist and head where most of her wounds were was _simply embarrassing_. "I just felt that I would be fine changing it myself, since I'm pretty much recovering well now. Thanks a lot, anyway."

Noticing the awkwardness, Tyki stopped in his movement before placing the bandages and cloth down and making his way out of the room. Aki snuggled back into the bed when the stream of light that appeared from the opening upset her vision.

He muttered softly, making sure that the young lady was unable to hear him. "_You're welcome."

* * *

  
_

"That's all we're having for dinner?" said Aki as she scrutinised the ingredient they had for dinner. It was nothing much other than for some staple carbohydrates and old vegetables. Ezzz felt his heart skipped a beat and his body going cold. It was inevitable he realised, that a lady like her who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth would soon began to find their food distasteful. It was only going to take a week for her body to yearn for better food, was it not?

Observing that Ezzz had gone all quiet and that she had said the wrong thing, Aki quickly rephrased her words and patted the little boy's blonde hair- somehow, that gesture always made her feel better. "Sorry Ezzz, I didn't mean that your cooking is bad. I just thought that it would be better if we have some meat for the guys since they slogged so hard in work."

"But- but this is all we can afford," muttered Ezzz, his eyes moistened with tears really to flow.

"Hmm." Aki glanced around the kitchen. "I guess we could go fishing! There is a river nearby, right?"

Before Ezzz could react, Aki had already grabbed some wire, bits of vegetables and strings, and dragged him out of the small house they rented. Ezzz was still trying to recover from shock when he noticed that Aki had stopped walking. As he looked up, he saw an enchanted Aki in a daze looking in a faraway direction. He followed her gaze, and was dumbfounded too when he saw the scenery.

The whole stretch of trees had been dried to an overwhelming shade of flame, with the colour so striking that it would have threatened to burn the settlements there without anyone stopping. **Such was the power and natural beauty of love, wasn't it? **

**

* * *

**

"Fish! Wow, we have not had that since-" cheered Momo as he feasted his eyes on the spread of food presented in front of him. "What's this," he asked, as he poked at the food on one of the plate. "It seems raw."

"Sashimi," said Aki nonchalantly as set the table in front of the three men who had just returned from work. "We had nothing much I could prepare the food with, so I thought I could make it raw. If it doesn't suit your taste I have made fish soup too. Hmm, I don't use to cook last time, don't I? But it seems that I'm fine with it." With that, she faked a frown and before having a smile taking it all over quickly. "So be my guest and be happy."

Momo chuckled as he took a bite of the raw fish. "So now our lady guest is serving us instead-"

"Momo!" Crack was staring intensely at Momo, with his stern warnings sent telepathically through eye contact.

Aki laughed. "What's wrong? I don't mind if I get to be called 'lady' just because I prepared dinner. However if that is so, Ezzz would be made a king then."

The group burst into laughter at that and was relieved that they had not landed in hot soup and terrible explanations- everyone except Tyki.

"Hey Tyki, why are you so stern?" Crack said as he gave the latter a smack on his back. "Lighten up, dude."

Tyki grunted and continued to tuck in his food. He was not engaged in their conversation and had been deep in thoughts upon seeing the dinner. Fishing, setting up the fire easily- _Ezzz had said she got it on her first attempt even though a skilled person may still not get it smoothly_. Certainly, cooking was not what such ladies would have to do. Whatever she was, her life was not something his group of friends would know. Ever since she had been here, the group had been in much happier mood as compared to usual times. Why would they even suspect anything?

Just then, it had been Aki's laughter and gentle touch on his shoulder that made him snapped out completely from his thoughts. Looking up, the grinning face of Aki stopped his suspicions momentarily.

"_At least Brother appreciates my culinary skills. He seems to be only the one who is able to eat my sashimi without a distorted face."_

Suddenly, he realised that he was eating only raw fish and was enjoying every slices of it. Ignoring the laughter in the house, he glanced out of the window so as to distract himself. Why was it that the others could laugh while he could not? The feel of her touch still burnt his skin.

Yet it was also then when he realised the first autumn leaf had been _shed.

* * *

  
_


	6. Like A Fool, I Could Only Smile

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

_**-Like a Fool, I could only Smile-**_

_You should have realized, dear, _

_That 'Aki' stands for autumn which you are nicknamed after because of your real name._

_Kaeda Amber, one of the two daughters of Earl Amber of Burnsville. _

'_Kaeda' stands for 'maple',_

_Delicate yet sophisticated like the season._

_**I**__** guess that had been what I love about you, then**__.

* * *

_

"And when you add this up with this, you'll get twenty-six. Now, try this," said Aki as she wrote out the numerical figures with a stick on the dry sand just outside the house. Ezzz furrowed his brows and counted the circles representing the digits. As the little boy did the calculation- something which she had only just began to teach him, her thoughts wandered away to the spread of fallen leaves of autumn over the golden ground.

It had only been a week since she woke up from her head injury, and barely three days when she realised with astonishment that Ezzz did not had any basic education even though he was already ten years old. It occurred to her that she did not think much about such issues and that- she was the only one who was educated even though she had no recollection of what kind of school or form of education she received. _Had she been adopted? Abandoned and found? What past did she have? And her only known family- her brother, was always so indifferent towards her: did she commit something that she should not have and resulted in his wrath?_

"Hey Ezzz, my brother... is he always so stern and serious?" asked the young lady, her voice distracted as her gaze went afar.

Surprised by the sudden question, Ezzz stumbled. "Ti- Tyki is not usually like that. Ezzz- Ezzz guess Tyki's probably tired from work... and worried- worried about Aki!" The little boy knew not what to say when he realised that Aki kept quiet after his reply. Frightened, he went back to his mathematics questions, hoping to bury himself in it.

He was there, standing quietly among the fallen leaves, and observing them. His plan had been to get home from the mine to inform Ezzz that he would be leaving for his special job again, yet when he saw her teaching the little boy with just sand and stick, it made him stop at his track for the moment. 'Sister' as she was supposed to him, he somehow felt that Ezzz was closer to her. A strange sensation cruised through his body, particularly his heart. _Jealousy?_ The word made him suddenly snapped out of such an illusion and he started to move towards the duo with broad confident steps. Yet as he ventured his way there, he could not help but noticed how the shirt was too big for her such that it revealed part of her shoulder, how her hair was tied into a simple tail and how she appeared much skinnier than she used to be. He could not help but notice her.

_Was she not adapting well?_

The bandage on her was still there, visible under the white shirt, while her head bandage was already gone because she complained it appeared ugly. He knew, however, that it was because she did not want the others to worry. Slowly but steady, his thoughts began to drift to a darker place where he found her all bleeding and wounded as he stared into her blank eyes, where he cleaned those cuts with a clean white cloth that would be quickly drenched deep red. He thought of how she had twitched and winched from the pain even though she was pretty much unconscious.

"Hey Brother!" "Tyki!"

Tyki shook his head abruptly to shake off those thoughts as the young boy ran towards him while the young lady strolled behind him. Like a happy family. He quickly casted the thought away and patted the young lad's blonde hair while ignoring his _sister._

"Hey Ezzz, I'm going to work again. Behave, okay?" He said, and made sure that he would smile at his _sister_ when she finally reached them.

* * *

"You mean Brother often has special jobs like that?" asked Aki as she stopped suddenly in her tracks to pick up a fallen leaf. It had jagged edges and three pointed segments_. Maple_; a little voice told her. "Why doesn't he bring us along?"

Ezzz shrugged his small shoulders. "Ezzz doesn't know. Momo and Crack don't ask Tyki a thing too. Tyki brings back quite a bit though." The little boy took out something small and shiny from his inner shirt. "Here."

"_I hope it's not anything illegal then,"_ muttered Aki. She dropped the maple leaf and took the object that Ezzz had passed to her. It was about the size of a dime, made of what appeared as silver and had engravings on it. A peculiar feeling overwhelmed her but she knocked it off. "So, you're sure that Tyki would come home from this road?"

"It must be. Ezzz is sure that Tyki would be here soon."

"_Sixth sense_?" Aki frowned as she peered into the sky. "It looks like it's going to rain soon."

"But- but Ezzz want to wait for Tyki..."

"It's okay, we'll wait despite the rain okay?" Aki smiled as she looked down at the little boy who was gazing hopefully down the road.

The two continued to walk down the road, yet as what the sky had annotated, fine raindrops began to fall upon them. The stains made on the mud road grew larger with each falling droplet and soon descended into a heavy shower in a matter of minutes.

"The rain is getting very heavy," said Aki as she placed her hand over Ezzz's head in her attempt to shelter him from that little less rain. "Would you like to head back?"

The determined face on the little boy's face said it all. It was that frown on his lips and knot in his brow that made her let the boy have his way, as if she was obliged to listen to him. He resembled someone, she suddenly recalled. Yet the image and thought was as foggy as the vision caused by the rain so she decided to drop the thought- it hurts her head, anyway. Removing the jacket Momo had lent her before they headed out, she placed it gently over the boy's shivering body. Aki ignored the latter's protests and continued walking alongside the boy.

"Ezzz-" was all he could stutter when he saw the two shadows revealed themselves as the veils of rain parted for their debut. "_A- Aki_."

The rain was brutally spearing all three of them, and as he approached them, he noticed how pale their lips had become due to the cold, and how their hair was dripping wet with water. He noticed the two jackets that overwhelmed the little boy's petite figure, and nothing much but a shirt- his- that provided warmth for the girl. He wanted and knew that he should take off his shirt for her. As he placed his hand on Ezzz's head, his hand touched the cheeks of his sister just a little. A brush, to be more defined. Yet the rain had made them all so numb- _so numb_ such that his shirt remained with him still throughout the whole journey back home.

* * *

Tyki stood motionlessly by the door with one of his hand supporting his weight on the wall while the other was holding onto the knob. His eyes, despite the dull lighting of the room, was fixed on the slow and gentle movements of the girl as her hands dipped a towel into cold water before twisting it dry and placing it on the boy's forehead. She did this at fixed intervals, making sure that the boy was getting his head cooled and recovering. Ezzz had never been in the best of health and the cold rain had certainly taken a toll on him. Somehow as he watched the two of them, he was reminded once again of his own hands dipping into blood-diluted water, how he twisted the towels the same way as she did when he took care of her wounds. _Stop that, Tyki Mikk_- he kicked himself mentally. It was ridiculous to feel this way and...

"_Hey, _I'll take over from don't you take a rest?"

Aki jumped involuntarily at the sudden disturbance. Startled, she glared at her _brother _before sighing. "It's okay. You should be the one resting since you just came back. I'll be fine here."

"_Stubborn girl_," chided Tyki as he settled himself next to her. They sat in silent and observed Ezzz's small body moving as he breathed in and out. The distance, barely a pillow apart, was so far, yet both of them felt that they would give anything to fill up that void. Were siblings supposed to be so awkward with each other; she wondered and bit her lips.

"Hey, you asleep?" asked Tyki nonchalantly.

Aki cocked her eyebrows up in surprise and muttered. "_Yeah."_

"Then who is that talking?"

"I'm sleep-talking, _obviously," _answered Aki as she pulled a little at Ezzz's blanket.

Tyki laughed and was surprised at it. He glanced up at Ezzz who was still in slumber-land before looking down at his feet like a child who was just reprimanded by his mother for dropping the ice-cream. Somehow it was in such environment and circumstances that he could feel his defences were down and his senses were less alert. He knew that suspicions were clouding all around this girl, yet he could not help but _feel relaxed_- just like how he felt with the rest of his friends.

"Hey _Brother_-"

"Hmm?" The night was getting darker and had gotten so quiet that he could hear the faint breathings from all three of them in the room.

"I was just wondering-" Aki paused as she stared into space. There were so many questions, so many things unknown that she was eager to pry open_._ "I was just wondering why our parents named you Tyki and me Aki. I mean, what do they mean?"

Tyki felt a heartbeat skipping. Once again, they had failed to consider how Aki may start to question her past and how much they have to lie to cover up this whole thing. His thoughts raced for a suitable answer, his throat ached to find appropriate words. He knew the answer but what was he supposed to say? It took a while longer before his mouth relented and opened.

"Aki, I-"

"_Mama...why?"_

Stunned, he looked down straight at the young lady whose head was now on his shoulder and grunted. Her eyes were already shut and oblivion to the surroundings. Sighing, Tyki slowly shifted himself to a more comfortable position and took effort not to wake Aki up. Unconsciously, he gently swept away the fringe that covered her face as she laid asleep and pried open her hands gently to remove the wet towel. He could feel the soft rhythm as her body breathed and decided to stay like that for the rest of the night.

* * *

"Hey Aki, it's time to wake up," murmured Tyki as he allowed his free hand to tap the latter on her shoulder. It felt so warm. "I need to get to work."

"Hmm," groaned the latter as she shifted uncomfortably, her body aching. She jumped when she realised that her head had been on her brother's shoulder the whole night. Ezzz was still sleeping soundly on the bed. "_My goodness- I'm so- so sorry_!"

Tyki smiled weakly as he watched the girl bowing profusely to him. He shook his head and stood up to walk out of the room.

"_It's okay,"_ he muttered such that it was only audible to his heart. "_As I had fall asleep on you the night before as well."

* * *

  
_


	7. With Eyes Gazing Into Yours

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

_**-With Eyes Gazing into Yours-**_

_A/N: _Longest chapter so far, and I don't know if you would agree my view on how Tyki as a human would react in such circumstances, but I hope you'd enjoy it even though i found my first section soundign unlike me- really didn't know what happened when i wrote it. oops but do enjoy(:

* * *

_A clown could only laugh that much._

_Lies could__ only last that long. _

_Will you ever regret doing all this for me even if it had been all full of deception?_

_I never would have, as it had been most humane to feel this way._

_I'm sorry if you had, Aki._

"That's really pretty," marveled Ezzz as he sat next to the small flame. It was made by just pieces of twigs and branches that had been lighted up with a simple match, yet the color it gave off was splendid. "Ezzz doesn't get to have flames that change from green to orange. How does Aki do it?"

The young lady shrugged her shoulders as she added more wood to the fire. It had been a month since she awoke from her supposed coma and for this whole period, her flames had always been this color. When she asked Ezzz if it had always been like that since she started to learn how to cook, the latter would only keep quiet before answering that he could not remember. Yet it was at the every time that she made the fire, the little boy would comment about the exact same thing.

"I guess it's just some sort of chemical reaction," she would then reply. "It would be fine as long as it does not result in any explosion."

Ezzz smiled and continued to gaze upon the fire, watching adoringly as the flames licked at the fuel wood hungrily. Like predator and prey, Aki noted, but showed no obvious reaction to it.

"FIRE!" yelled someone in a panicky tone as he ran passed. The two in the house immediately stood up and ran to the door. All they could see was people running towards the mountains, bringing whatever containers they could in their attempt to do their little bit. _Mountains_, Aki suddenly realized; _that was where the mines and guys would be_. Quickly, she doused the fire and hurried out of the house.

"Wait for Ezzz, Aki!"

"Stay home, it's too dangerous." Aki frowned when she saw the expression set on Ezzz's face- there was no way to persuade the boy. Sighing, she could only grab his small hand. "Let's hurry."

The journey towards the mine had not been smooth as the two had to squeeze to make their way there. People were running and yelling at the top of their lungs as they made their way to and fro, and from what Aki had gathered on her way there, the immense fire had been caused by a series of explosions. It suddenly struck her that this scene felt somewhat familiar, as the humans escaping had the same expression as a lamb in a slaughterhouse. Death; that was how it would have looked like. Freaked out by her own thoughts, Aki quickened her pace.

"Momo! Crack!"

Aki looked up to find two men covered in dirt and soot beaming down at the two of them. She did a quick scan over them for any sign of injuries and sighed with a satisfied tone when the report turned out blank. Ezzz was already hugging the two of them and sobbing loudly into their shirt. The whole place was in a mess, as if order was never in this people's dictionary before.

Then it struck her.

"Where- where is my brother?"

Crack frowned as he placed a big hand on the young lady's shoulder. He turned back to where thick smoke was coming from and sighed. "The dude went back to help out after pulling us out. _He…_ Aki, wait!" he yelled, but she had already ignored part of his words and was running towards the mine. "Someone stop that crazy girl!"

Aki could feel her heart beating rapidly and painfully against her chest as her legs exceeded its limit to give its very best- her very best to find her only family, her _brother._ It did not matter at that moment of time how cold he had always treated her, how neglected she often felt and how much it made her worry every time she tried to bridge the gap between them. She wanted to yell, wanted to scream, wanted to cry, anything really, to bring back her brother._ Brother_, that name sounded so dear to her all of a sudden.

_Please, please God, __**I'll give anything even if it means shortening my lifespan for him to be safe.**_

* * *

Tyki sighed in relief as he helped out the last miner of the disaster place- an old man with white wiry beard. While lives were nothing worthwhile and death a common sight to him as a Noah, he could not bear the sight of human dying as a human. Which is why being human is exhausting, he thought, as he surveyed his surroundings. Groups of people were huddled together, whether it was for comfort or for first-aid, and the rawest human emotions could be seen so evidently here. Then it struck him that he was without his friends. It took him quite some time as he walked around to spot the two and half a men. "Yo dudes," he smiled and smacked one of them on his back. "I'm back."

"Tyki damn," said Momo as his eyebrows furrowed. "You're here."

"I don't think that's the best way to welcome me back," complained Tyki as he took out his cigarette pack for a puff. The smoke curled up towards his jaw, like a snake rattling with danger. Yawning, the young man dusted his clothes, trying to get rid of the dirt and blood stuck on it. "There's got to be a better way."

"_It's not that_," yelled Ezzz as he grabbed onto the latter's arms, stopping him from keeping the pack back to his pocket. "_Aki-_ Aki went in to find Tyki!"

Tyki felt his heart skipping a beat when the words penetrated his ears, each tail of the letters slicing him. His unlighted cigarette was dangling in between his lips when he tried to comprehend the situation. For now, a curse was all he could mutter. The young man was stunned momentarily before he began to charge back to where he came from.

He was freaking out and he hated it.

The smoke was thicker than it had been when he reached. Tyki's heart pounded harder with each step and it hurt his throat every time he yelled out her name. _Those three letters, those two syllabuses, and that name: why had it concerned him so much?_ He cursed once again and spat on the ground.

-_Boom_

Another explosion happened barely seven metres away from him, sending debris and dust after him. Coughing, he tried to yell out her name louder and felt his mind giving way. This was how panic felt like, he realized. One of the worst emotions a human could exhibit. The dust conjured up by the explosion clouded his vision, making his eyes sting despite the thick glasses he donned on.

"_Brother!"_

The words yelled out seem to smooth his ears momentarily as Tyki felt himself landing on the ground all of the sudden with a weight on him. Yet before he could figure out his situation, the young man heard another explosion that attempted to split his ears. Waiting for some time while the dust settled down, Tyki then tried to make his way up again. _He had to find her. He must._

"_Are__- are you alright?"_ said the soothing voice once again as the weight removed itself from him, allowing Tyki to crawl up. He was barely able to speak when he found something wrapping itself around him- something thin and warm. Strangely, Tyki felt his heartbeat slowing down, his mind no longer racing against the time and situation. Was it the voice that made him so?

"Hurry hurry, get in there and stop the fire!"

The smoke soon began to clear and the situation became clearer to him- the rescue operation team was finally here. The sight of his friends came to him like a car slicing through a mist and he realized that the many voices had been from the firefighters and them. Ezzz was smiling exuberantly as he ran towards the young man whom nodded his head in regard. Yet Tyki could not understand the worried expressions hanged on his two other friends' features. Frowning, they had both crossed their arms across their chest. _What's the matter_- he wanted to ask, but he knew the answer when he followed his friends' gaze which he found out were not on him.

It was on Aki.

She had been the one who pushed him away from the explosion and was the one who hugged him tightly during the confusion. Her arms were still tightly around him now, while her face was buried in his chest. She was crying silently, he realized. Sobbing as her body heaved up and down, she seemed unable to control her emotion. Awkward, his arms dangled by his side before wrapping itself around the girl too. With his head lowered and buried in her hair, he brought her closer to him and prayed for all these to end soon.

* * *

_The crowd cheered in excitement once again, sending the performers bending their head in appreciation. The place was filled with colors and fun, with the red and yellow tent adding on to the happy atmosphere. Yet amidst the laughter and smiles, the young lady felt that she could not smile, or wanted to. It was sickening, she thought, to have those elephants standing on a leg and those lions being tamed by a whip. Moreover, those clowns were obviously in pain behind those painted faces as they hopped and jumped around the hoops and fire. Fire; how she wished to make it burn more intensely and bring this whole circus down to a pile of dust._

"_Kaeda-chan," chided the low voice next to her as the person pulled her by the shoulder closer to him. "At least laugh when the rest do."_

"_It's disgusting," complained the young woman as she rolled her eyes. She stared intently at the young clown making his rounds around the tigers. "Are you sure that is the boy? He seems so young."_

_The man chuckled and patted her head. "Of course, it is. It did surprise me initially till I saw those silver-gray eyes. They held the same determination as his."_

_Kaeda sighed as she placed her head on the man's shoulder. "It's harsh then, this world. I pity that kid."_

"_It's the real world, my dear."_

"_Too cold for my liking," muttered the young lady. The child was now walking around with another man, his_ father_ perhaps. _

"_Burn it up then, Kaeda," laughed the man as he combed his free hand through his long crimson hair. "You're capable of doing that."_

"_Not without killing you," she hissed. _

_The man chuckled aloud, his voice drowned by applause from the audience. "Then do so, if your job requires it," he grinned and planted a small kiss on her cheek, under her eye. "Remember-"_

"_-Duty over desire," continued Kaeda as she observed an elephant losing its balance over the rod. She tried to lift up her head from the shoulder when she realized it was no longer there. The man next to her had disappeared out of the sudden as usual, leaving his yellow friend next to her. She patted him lazily and smiled. _

_However, it would only turned into flames once she touched it, and before she know it, the young lady's vision contained nothing but more and more blazing flames that threatened to torch her._

"No!" she yelled, as she found herself suddenly sitting up. Perspiration coated her skin by a thin layer and her panting was long and heavy_. I was just dreaming_, she comforted herself and got out of bed. Ezzz was still sleeping in the next bed and the moon was still up, she realized. _Yet why is it so recurring?_

Quietly, she turned the knob, opened the door and crept out of the room. Since the moon was still up, everyone would still be sleeping. However, a little light in the corner by the table caught her attention. Recognizing the shadowy figure, she called out his name softly and began to walk towards him.

Tyki turned to find his sister walking towards him in surprise. Sure, he had heard his name called out by her, but wasn't it supposed to be late in the night now? Cursing in his head, he quickly hid the object, along with his tools, into the drawer. "Hmm?" he asked, trying to conceal any suspicion or guilt he could have at that moment. "Why are you awake?"

Aki chuckled sheepishly and looked out of the window, admiring the night sky. "I couldn't sleep, that is."

"Let's take a walk around then," said Tyki, leading his sister out of the house as his friends continued to sleep soundly on the coach.

* * *

"Pretty, eh."

"_What-"_ asked Tyki as he stopped along with Aki and followed her gaze. They had been unconsciously walking in synchronized steps and it was only when Aki had stopped in her track that they had taken a break since walking out of the house. "_It is_," he smiled as he too marveled at the structure- a small simple church that had been lit up splendidly by the moon light. The angle at which the light had been casted on reflected brilliantly and brought out the beauty of those plain but elegant painted glass windows.

"Let's go in," said Aki with an awestruck voice. Before he could answer, the young lady had already grabbed him by his elbow and dragged him into the building. As they walked the aisle down, she released her grip and headed straight for the candles ahead. He watched her as she lighted up one white candle with a satisfied grin engraved on her feature. He stared as the flame bent over in green before standing up again in orange… _and the way the light danced off her features… the soft shadows… the heartwarming scene…_

"_Brother, brother-?"_

Immediately, that broke his chain of thoughts. Embarrassed, he combed his fingers through his hair and attempted to take out his cigarette pack with the other hand- before remembering that smoking was frowned upon in a church. Not that he cared but something made him stop at spoiling the current atmosphere.

"Brother?!?"

"Yes, yes," he yawned and removed his hand from the pocket.

"What's the matter?" asked Aki as she stretched out her words to make sure he heard her. With a suspicion look in her eyes as she regarded her brother, Aki narrowed her lips "Would- you- like- to- light- up- a- candle- too-?"

Tyki shook his head and made his way to the rows of seat. "It's okay, I'll pass." He did not find it comfortable praying to a god he did not believe in, or to even light up a candle as it symbolize hope- something he had long lost his faith in. Life was too short for emotions like this. After all, he was not completely human too. He was not to indulge in silly things like this. Bemused by such thoughts, Tyki then moved to make space when he realized that Aki had come over to join him.

The two sat in silence initially, staring sometimes at the statue standing magnificently in front of them, observing at times at the rows of candles with their flame burning brightly and proudly. They exchanged words at small intervals of time, sometimes laughing at one comment or another, sometimes teasing each other. Had the night made them more comfortable with each other?

The moonlight was still visible from where they were, so both soon settled into silence once again and glanced up at the starlit sky.

"_Brother_," said Aki suddenly. Tyki looked down in surprise as her fingers touched his left hand. The touch, though soft, held so much worry and troubles, he realized. Aki was all silent again, as if something in her throat had caught her words.

"_Yeah?"_ he asked gently too, afraid any sudden loudness would scare even the boldest bird- _firecrest _perhaps, away. The tone he had made make him felt like a completely different person.

"You are not really my brother, are you?"

Tyki glanced up at Aki almost immediately, stunned by her question. _How did she-?_

Aki jerked her head sideway, at an angle away from him. She laughed awkwardly. _"I hope not, but yeah I was just joking…"_ Tyki felt Aki removing her fingers and shifting her gaze at her hands which were now placed both on her lap. At that moment, he felt only warmth and a certain sort of strangeness and yearning, as if he was a kid who had just experienced how chocolate melted on the tongue and now wanted more. Aki swallowed something hard in her throat when she noticed how silent Tyki had gone. "Do tell me the truth,_ alright_?"

_How did she manage__ to figure out?_

Tyki tried to dig his brains for answers, any so as long as he would be able to continue the lie, anything really. Then it came to him that he was unable to continue the deception. Moving his hand towards her, he took hold of one of them, before pressing it onto the space of chair between them, covering her small smooth hand with his large callused one. Words then flowed smoothly out like water in a calm stream, as the heat exchanged between their hands warmed up better than the flickering flames ahead.

He wondered that night as they made their way back, if this was how living life without deception and masks was to feel like, _how love,_ was to be.

* * *


	8. Yet The Stars Would Soon Fall

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

_**-Yet the Stars would soon fall-**_

A/N: Reviews have been low, does the story rot? ):

* * *

_Hey Aki,__ do you know how much I've missed you since you'd been away?_

_It was with you that I showed the true side of me,__ the side where it really hurts._

_You brought me so I'm here,__ you taught me so I'll believe._

_Yet I'm regretting now, regretting that I should not have started all this. _

_Would you tell me I was wrong?_

_Would you forgive me?_

"Charles?" demanded the stern voice, impatience creeping up like a latent poisonous snake. "Charles? Where's the young ladyship?"

The old man felt blood draining from his face as he rushed up to his master's drawing-room. "My lordship, Lady Kaeda has gone…"

"I don't care why she has gone to," shouted the man as he smacked the table next to him. "She better get back home for the next party. I need her to entertain those annoying rich brats. Charles, by hook or by crook, I better see that darn face soon."

"Yes Master," sighed the old butler as he quietly excused himself out of the room. His heart was pounding hard despite being relieved that he need not have to explain her sudden unexplained departure to the man. It was not the first time she had disappeared and he knew to use the usual excuse of the young lady being on a tour or out on a hunt. However, he noted with a worried tone, it was different this time, as he walked next into the Earl's youngest daughter's room. A rifle was resting in peace on the shelf with a crimson tulip lying on it despite the frightening thoughts that was plaguing the butler's old mind.

No matter how far she went, the weapon would always be with her. She would have informed him. Relenting, the butler finally decided to pick up the phone by the bedside and dialed the numbers he had so engraved into his memory.

* * *

"_Someone, anyone please, please save my mother! I beg you! Mama!"_

The flames were approaching fast, licking its lips as it began to approach her, like predator to prey. The crimson tongue disgusted her, frightened her, hurt her. Much as she wanted to, it was out of her ability to control it. Water did not help, neither did anything else. It was pathetic. The building was collapsing. Precious seconds were seeping through her fingers like sand.

"_No, please don't leave me alone!"_

The smirk on the man's feature scarred her as it turned around to face her. The flame strengthened its evil aura as he walked away, his crimson hair swaying along with the wind handsomely despite the disaster. She wanted to hate him, to kill him, to stop him, yet it hurt her deep inside where her heart lies to know that it belonged to him.

"_Please, anyone!"_

Tears were flowing frantically down her flushed cheeks as she tried to rush towards the scene but someone pulled her back, as if to prevent her from saving the ones she loved. Why, why were her tears not enough to extinguish the fire? A loud scream pierced the sky as she turned around to find a man, the same man she loved, standing beside her father and sister. He was still smiling. _Why, why don't you help?_ she had asked as she looked at them with pleading eyes. The grins on their face seemed so make-believed, as if it had been formed by needle and red thread.

Another scream slashed through the crimson sky.

Turning around, she yelled out her younger brother's name- it was he who had screamed in fear. He was in agonizing pain, she knew, as the flames slowly engulfed his small body, his black hair and his blue eyes. It would soon hurt so much that you would pray for an immediate death instead.

She knew; because she had been burnt before. She smiled, as the flames slowly approached her and consumed her within their arms too.

"_I'm coming home, Mama."

* * *

  
_

Tyki frowned as his fingers slide slowly on the object, his features stern as he inspected the curve of its neck. Picking up the small piece of sandpaper, he filed along the curve carefully. The young man was about to pick up his curving tool once again when the sound of the door opening stopped his movement. He stuffed all the materials into the drawer and was careful not to make any noise that would raise suspicions or wake up his two other friends.

"Nightmares again?" queried Tyki as he observed the white figure slowly approaching him with a troubled face she tried so hard to conceal. He placed his hands around hers, his callused hands rubbing against her smooth arms, pulling her towards him, smiling sadly as the young lady shook her head in denial. She was too tired to even lie, he noticed.

These were the nights when she would come out in the middle of the night to take some fresh air and have a walk with him. However, he knew he could only comfort her to an extent. There were still times when she had chosen not to come out of the room or when he was fast asleep or away.

It had been a month since he told her the truth- the part where Ezzz and the rest would have known- and she had woke up in the middle of the night numerous times with complains and lies that she could not sleep because of this and that. He knew, however, that she was not sleeping well due to dreams. He used to have those recurring nightmares too. Though he did not know what had caused hers, his was certainly caused by the alternate life he had been blessed upon. Or cursed, he would sometimes think. Did her past hurt too? Did it hurt so much so that she could not recall anything even after he had told her part of the truth?

"_Let's take a walk, shall we?"_

Noticing that she had been the one who requested the walk first instead of him being the usual one, he stood up without a word and followed Aki as she wandered out of the house, a blank expression hanged on her features.

A gush of wintry breeze greeted them immediately once the door was opened. The night sky was clear as usual, with stars studding the dark canvas like decorations to an already-beautiful room. The ground was littered with dry leaves, as the deciduous trees had shed its coat at this time of the year again.

His lips curled with an amused expression as the young lady walked ahead of him without notice, wandering in her own world while her gaze moved through the woods to look at the untidy rows of naked trees and structured branches. A solid neat sound was made every time she took a step forward, her feet crushing the leaves under. Her silhouette was comforting, he thought, as he slowly followed the girl.

Just then, the girl stopped abruptly beside a random tree. Fearing that something ill had happened, Tyki quickly made his way towards her, the sound of leaves crushing under and brushing against his shoes and pants grew louder with each step.

Then he too, paused in his track.

Aki was putting her hand slightly below a brown leaf that was still dangling from its branch. It was _dangling _because it looked as if it would fall down any moment from now. The cold autumn wind was making it tremble even harder. Tyki glanced around his surroundings. It looked as if that leaf was to be the last one that would fall. Then it did. He was about to point that out to her until he saw that she was hiding her face from him when he diverted his attention back to her.

"_Hey__,"_ he whispered, afraid that any sound he make would make her vulnerable composure crumble like those leaves on the floor. He walked up slowly to her, holding her upper arms to make her face him. "Aki," he called softly once again, wanting to embrace her to protect her current state but fearing to do so. He stared down, trying hard to see her face.

"It's nothing, Brother," she answered suddenly, opening up her palm to display the leaf that had fallen. _Maple,_ he realized silently and swallowed a lump in his throat, as if to hide something away from her. The wide grin that cut through her face surprised him- she was not crying, perhaps. _Yet why was her voice so raw and painful?_

"I've caught the last autumn leaf! It's said to be good luck. Pretty, _isn't it_?"

Tyki was about to answer when the young lady walked out from his grasp towards a tall tree. She sat down abruptly and crossed her legs underneath her. Aki's fingers traced the lines and veins of the leaf while her other hand held onto its stem delicately, as if trying to recall something or someone. He noticed that she did not realize, or bothered, when he sat next to her.

"Aki…"

"Pretty, isn't it?" laughed the latter as she looked up at him for that fleeting moment before gazing into the sky and leaning back onto the tree. "Everything is so pretty…" Her expression appeared as if the stars had stolen all emotions from her. Tyki felt a tight feeling in his chest. His throat felt dry.

"_Aki…"_he whispered once again. The sweet name sounded so coarse when called out by him, he thought.

The young lady finally turned with a small smile and diverted her eye contact and attention on him.

"Don't you love the autumn night sky? It's so_ pre_-" she paused suddenly as her breath was stolen at that sudden instant by a soft pressure on her lips. Blood rushed through her veins to her cheeks and accumulated there, flushing her face to a pale pink that blended in well with the ochre background. Her eyes were wide open and staring into a set of closed ones that was so near hers, his long lashes so visible. She realized this was the first time seeing him without his glasses. They were beautiful, she thought.

The pressure on her lips pressed harder, making her eyes closed as well. She felt his fingers, long and thin, combing through her hand before stopping to support her head, while his other hand was on her right shoulder, pinning her to the tree. The moist pressure was now even harder against her dry lips, before it parted hers too and sealed her breath before she could take another. Her composure was melting under him; she knew but ignored it willingly.

The stars continued to shine its affectionate glow over the couple for some time before the young man opened his eyes in a fleeting moment, his lips still with hers but his mind darting off somewhere else. _What was he doing,_ he chided himself alarmingly.

**He was only going to end up hurting the one he love ****by loving her more.**


	9. Because You'd Always Be Far Away

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

_**-Because you'd always be far away-**_

_A/N:_ Thanks, really. A lighter chapter for all girls and inconsiderate guys out there. (;

* * *

_Gomen ne_, _Aki._

_It was only till I experience it __personally to know how much it must have upset you _

_To__ feel your loved ones' lives seeping right though your fingers but you could only stare at it helpless. _

_That__ must have hurt deeply, ain't it?_

_Now I knew the pain, I never wanted to let you go, _

_But to hold you in my arms forever._

"Hurry Tyki, there's a catch!" exclaimed the ten-year-old as he tugged at the rod, basking in excitement. The latter chuckled as he took another puff from his cigarette before strolling towards the young boy. "Aw, you're too slow! The fish got away!"

Tyki allowed the corners of his lips to curl a little before going back to his original patch of grass and lied there to bask under the sun. It was their day off from the mine and they had decided to take this day to have fun. Though he had not specifically stated it, he felt good that Aki had suggested for them to _play by the river_ which she found _so sparkling clean and beautiful that they must spend some quality time with it_. Mind you, that description had been made by her, word by word.

The bespeculated young man huffed out a steady stream of smoke before closing his eyes. It was beautiful alright, the _green grass_ and _sparkling river._ Furthermore, the weather today was fine with its fluffy white clouds and pretty blue sky. However, these descriptions were made by Ezzz, whose vocabulary had seemed to increase with his growing days spent with that young lady.

That young lady, he smiled unconsciously, as he thought of the latter. He was opening up already. Turning his head a little with his body still in comfortable among the grass, he opened his eyes and was amused to find that she was the first thing he saw. A lazy smile hanged on his lips as he observed the young lady. Sitting alone with the shade, Aki had just made a fire for the lads to grill their catch with, and was fanning the flames. When the guys had suggested her to join them, she declined their offer and allowed no further argument. Strange as it may seem, those lads had shut their mouth and leave her alone immediately. Now, if only that he could use that little magic too. Smirking, he stood up, stretched and strutted towards his _sister_.

"Yo, Aki," he greeted as he flopped his weight next to her with a soft thud. "What's up?"

Aki allowed a small smile on her lips before turning it back to a straight line, showing no interest in her _brother _at all.

Her face was as black as the ashes forming by the burnt wood, Tyki teased, as he climbed nearer to her and made sure that his face was right in front hers. He booed when the latter ignored him and shut her eyes, waving her hand in response to the cigarette smoke.

"Go away," warned Aki as she opened her eyes once again and pushed the man away. "I'm going to die young with all those passive smoking…"

"Then I'll have some company with," mocked Tyki as he puffed out smoke into the air, polluting the fresh air.

Aki ignored the smoker and stood away, not before staggering a little. However she quickly picked up herself, clenched her jaws and found a spot a distance away from that annoying man.

Tyki, sensing something wrong with her, quickly made his way after her. Snuffing out his cigarette on the ground, he touched his sister on her forehead gently and queried. "Are you feeling alright?"

Sighing, Aki nodded her head. How was she supposed to explain the dull yet aching pain that she had to experience every month? How was Tyki, a man, ever going to understand the symptoms and agonies that accompanied the bleeding? His persisting annoying ways were certainly not making her mood swings better, she roared silently. "I'm okay. Go on, play with them. Shoo, shoo."

"I've caught a fish!"

Tyki diverted his attention from his confusing _sister_ to his friends. She had been exuberant about the fishing trip initially, so why the sudden change? He shall cheer her up later then. Sighing, he got up and ran towards the others who were now crowding around the first catch of the day.

It had been Momo who caught it.

* * *

Listening to the sound made by rushing river, Aki began to hum a little tune that just happened to pop up from the back of head. There had been times when she would remember bits and pieces of certain stuff, find them familiar or nostalgic, but it often concluded to a black report as it would still churn out no recollection of the past. Her head hurt often during such sudden seizure of memories, but it paled compared to the amount of hurt her heart would experience. It was different from the jabbing feeling that her head would feel; her heart had often felt like cramps when it ached.

Laughing at herself at the comparison made, Aki began to swing her legs that were soaked in water from the calf onwards. The disturbance to the water was immediate, creating ripples and swirls on the water surface, just like how relationships could affect a person's emotions. However, the difference was that ripples only affect the surface of water bodies, while experiences affect the whole of human bodies.

Aki placed her fingers gently on her lips as her thoughts wandered. It had been a few days from that incident but the experience still felt like it had only happened yesterday. _The soft pressure, the moist sensation and mixed emotions when he… _Aki immediately shook her head. The walks had stopped since that day even though it had ended as if nothing had happened. She did not dare to get out of her room even if sleep failed her. To them, she was just someone they decided to take in goodheartedly. She would have to leave them one day, wouldn't she?** Even if she could not remember her past as she was now, she would have to walk away from them to find out her past.** She would, she knew.

-_Shh_

Aki scowled when her ear detected the soft sound made just a few feet away. Those guys must be up to something again, she thought. While they were not exactly children anymore, their cheeky innocence still managed to stick on them like honey to bread. Heaving a sigh, Aki braced herself mentally for yet another of their pranks.

"_One… Two… Three…__ ARGH!"_

Aki laughed aloud when she heard the splash of water. Someone had tried to push her into the water, but failed, she applauded herself silently. Whoever that was, he had been hauled over her shoulder when he touched her briefly, and coldheartedly thrown in. Turning around with a satisfied smirk on her face, she observed the remaining men who were thrown into a state of shock before bursting out in laughter minutes later. It was her _brother_, she realized, and spread her grin even wider. No way was she going to get in water during this period of the month, she thought, before strutting- the way Tyki had done it earlier on- towards the cooked fish. Now: lunch. She was going to leave those guys to their device from now.

"Aki- Aki! Ti- Tyki, he-!"

Aki looked up from the fish bone she had been picking on and cocked her head aside to face the young boy who had been yelling for her. "Ezzz, calm down before talking. Chill, boy. Would you like my plate instead?" The boy was innocent, she decided, and offered her own plate to him. She could no longer hear splashes of water anymore.

"No- no thanks, Aki-" stuttered Ezzz as he tried to catch his breath. Pointing towards the spot where the prank had been committed just minutes before, the blonde let out a frightened plead. "Please go back and save Tyki! Crack managed to save him out from the water but- but Tyki's still not moving!"

"What?" Aki immediately dropped her fish onto the ground and speed towards the three grown-ups with the young boy trying to catch up. The two of them were frantically trying to wake up the unconscious man lying in the middle- her _brother,_ for goodness sake. He looked so pale, she thought, and cursed herself for throwing him into the freezing water. It was approaching winter soon; she cried silently and pushed the two men away, the cold could have killed.

"_Bro_- brother, wake up, wake up please," she cried as she shook the man's body with much effort. She had not expected him to be of a bigger built- he had always looked so lean, his wet shirt was clinging so helplessly to his body even though the latter often towered over her. Aki slapped the man's whitened cheeks as desperation grew. She could hear Momo cursing when water flowed out from her brother's lips. He looked so ill that his black hair made him appear even paler by bringing out the stark contrast when it stuck to his white face. "Move away," she told the others as she settled herself next to him.

Placing her ear on his chest, she could feel his muscle as she checked for heartbeat. Aki then placed both her hands over his chest and exerted pressure, counting and such.

"What's Aki doing," muttered Ezzz as he tugged at Crack's sleeves. Crack shook his head in response. "She-"

The latter had paused suddenly when he saw what Aki was doing. Covering her lips with Tyki's, she tried to suck out the remaining water when her actions began to slow down. Slowly but steadily, a frown hanged on her features as she removed herself from her brother.

"I didn't know you liked my lips so much, _Aki,"_ whispered Tyki as he sluggishly stood up and stretched his back. He had made sure his words were only audible to her as a smirk curled his pale lips. "Really, winter water can get very cold-" He was about to pat his _sister'_s head when she too stood up to glare at him, said nothing and walked away. _Stormed away,_ Ezzz would have said, as the three and half a man had their gaze following the fuming woman's footsteps.

"_Tyki went too far,"_ muttered Ezzz as he too shook his head and gazed worriedly after Aki.

* * *

_Why was I even so worried?_ Aki grumbled as she stabbed an axe right into a small piece of log. He deserved no such concern for being so childish- fancy playing with his life just for some entertainment. _Why did he_- Aki paused all of a sudden. _Why was she so upset? It was only a prank_, she calmed herself down, yet the frightening image of her brother pale and cold against her face scared her nonetheless. _But he should not have-_ "ARGH" she yelled out as the axe fall once again onto the log, finally splitting into half.

"_What made my dear sister upset, hmm?"_

Startled, Aki glanced up to find a stalk of flower right in her face, small and delicate. An aster flower, she noted, purple and pretty, but she looked away.

"Stay away from me," she grunted as she lifted the axe once again. "I said, stay away-" Aki stopped suddenly when her arm could not lift at all.

"_I'm sorry,"_ said Tyki softly as he held a firm grasp over Aki's her hand. His other hand was still offering the latter her flower. The purple petals looked upon her innocently, as if it too, had those pleading eyes found on the man even though his was concealed behind misty glasses.

"I'm not that kind of girls that can be easily bribed with such trinkets," said Aki acidly as she attempted to struggle off his hand. "How many girls have you tried this trick on, _Mr. Casanova?"_

Tyki chuckled as he squatted next to the girl. _Many, but you're the most sincere one_, he thought.

"It may be cheap flowers, Aki, but it contains the richest emotions," muttered Tyki as his lips approached her ear. The latter jerked her head away immediately but was stopped when the young man released her arm suddenly which made her drop the axe in surprise. Gently, he stuck the flower onto her hair, and ignored her glaring stare. It was so intense that it could have made the flower cry in fear, he laughed softly before placing his gloved hand on her flushed cheeks. "You're scaring the flower."

He knew, however, that her gaze had softened when he planted a small kiss on her pursed lips_. It had scared him to lose her, after all.

* * *

  
_


	10. So Unreachable For Me

**K ****Amber Memories, Forgotten**

_**-**__**So Unreachable for Me-**_

_A/N:_ I think I'll need to rate this chapter M for its second section. As for the third section, I hope that readers would be able to visualize what I'm writing, hope it's saccharine enough. Yep and updates would be less freq now because I've just started school. Thanks (:

* * *

_You never realized, did you, how much I missed you when I was away for all these so-called missions. I guessed the fact that you lot never questioned me was__ due to your immense faith in me;_

_The fact that you trusted me even though all this was just a round of deceptions. _

_Like poker, you never know what the others have in mind. _

_Yet you seemed to be all that I have in my mind, Aki._

_It scared me so much to lose you._

The sound of firearms sounded so bright and clear in her ears that she always lost her sanity at that moment. The recoil of it had been strong enough to cause her to stumble back a few feet if he had not been there to catch her in his arms. She smiled weakly back at him and got back to the rifle. She was no to give up, never was to give up.

Aki sat straight immediately, sweat breaking as she panted hard and long. It scared her, these recurring dreams, because it had always been so violent and confusing. Dreams were meant to represent something, but what? The young lady sighed softly and climbed out of her bed. As usual, Ezzz the deep sleeper was still soundly asleep in the bed opposite hers. It was at times like this when she envied the young boy to be able to enjoy such slumber. This room, the third so far, had been the stuffiest with its lack of ventilation, thought Aki, as she glanced out of the small window.

He's there again, thought Aki, as she opened the door to find the same small light lit up in the corner. She often wondered what he was doing but did not really want to ask. Trust, they said, was the reason why one never doubts the other's action. Yet this time, she was eager to see what her brother was doing. Creeping like a mouse, she walked slowly towards the bespeculated man whose back was facing her.

"It's been a long time since we took a walk," said Tyki nonchalantly as he turned around to arrest her in action in her attempt to peek at him, he tucked his work away. "Shall we?"

Aki felt color running towards her cheek and nodded. It had been quite some time, she admitted, ever since that night when they saw the last falling leaf of autumn. Shaking her head to dislodge the thought, Aki then nodded her head and followed Tyki who was already by the door, waiting for her.

_I missed you too much._

* * *

"_Hey Brother_," whispered Aki as she looked up into the dark night sky which was embroidered with speckles of brilliant shiny stars. The two of them were sitting on the moist grass in the middle of an open field that was surrounded by trees that embraced each other with their branches. "**Do you know that it had been said that each one of us is represented by our own individual stars in the sky? And that if anyone dies, a star will fall?**"

Aki was silent as she waited for an answer from the man who was sitting next to her. He had been smoking his cancer stick quietly ever since they came out, as if his thoughts had engrossed him so much that he was oblivion to his surroundings. Slightly annoyed, the young lady turned her head abruptly to face him. Yet she almost jumped in shock when her eyes met his directly, as they were no longer hiding behind the shield of his glasses. Those apricot eyes… it made her glance away at once upon sight.

"Aki," whispered Tyki gently, playing with the name a little to savor sweetness, as he placed a finger on the latter's chin to lift her head up. He made sure that her eyes were gazing right back to his and immersing in its blackness, he planted a kiss on her forehead, before lingering down to her nose and then her lips. It felt soft, as he applied pressure and parted her lips, tasting her gradually. It felt strange how their lips would just fit each other warmly. She could taste his cigarette so strongly.

Her hands could feel the strong muscles and bones at his waist as he climbed over her and gently pushed her onto the ground. Blushing as he moved down the curve of her neck, she moved her hands gently up to his back and neck and inhaled the light cigarette smell that still lingered in his shirt. Her skin tingled wherever he touched, she realized. Aki could hear her name enunciated slowly through his lips as he probed further down, kissing as his arms brushed against the small of her back. His fingers moved through her hair which seemed to reflect the thousands of starts in the sky, feeling it caress his fingers.

Tyki could feel her trembling under him as he slowly pried open her clothes, unrevealing her like a flower. His lips trailed down her soft navel, his fingers moving down her sides. He stopped a little down her navel button when he saw the faint scars still on her. He sucked gently at the wound, biting and plucking tenderly it with his lips before shifting back to face her again, kissing her face gently as if it would sealed her with him forever. A sudden surge of anger had overwhelmed him when he touched those lines, and it took much needed effort to kick it to the back of his head. He allowed his fingers to caress gently under her, smiling a little when he knew that she had flushed a deeper red.

Under the soft moonlight, he enjoyed the way her arms were awkwardly around him, moving too, as he removed his own clothes. The young man muttered her name once again as he brushed her fringe away from her forehead, and gently caress her eyelids with his lips. Kissing, he was about to probe inside her when he realized that one of her hand was on his back while the other was grabbing onto the soil next to her_. I don't want to hurt you,_ he frowned and was about to back away when her lips met his full too and pulled him closer down to her, muffling her pain into his throat.

_I'd promise not to hurt you… anymore._

* * *

"_Hey Brother_," whispered Aki as she placed her head on his shoulder, before hesitating a little as the term no longer fit as well now. Yet to call his name, it sounded weird in her throat, really. She ignored it and removed herself off him, lifting his arms that had been wrapped around her and ignoring his reluctance to allow her so. The grass felt cool as she lied on it once again. Admiring the sky, she stared at a particular star before pointing a slender finger at it.

"_If I die, would you__'d follow?"_ she asked in a whisper, her finger now sliding along an imaginary straight line across, as if wishing the star would fall.

Tyki furrowed his brows a little at the question. The man had been lying on his back, watching the moon rock back and forth on a hammock of stars. One hand was tossed up over his head while the other anchored Aki against his chest- until Aki plucked herself from him. He was silent and thinking before shaking his head as if to dislodge something off.

Had death been such a common topic for him that it seemed strange for people around him to mention it?

"Yes," he replied back in a determined tone, his finger pointing at the closest star to the one that Aki had targeted. He closed his eyes and allowed the finger to follow the trail she had made so that it ended up with Aki's star, as if he could see the line better this way. He opened his eyes when he felt his finger colliding with something. "Aki?" he said in a questioning tone regarding her finger which had stopped his midway.

"Don't," she replied firmly, yet so soft that it was almost inaudible. "_Don't."_

Tyki turned around to face the latter, a concerned expression hanged on his feature. "_Hmm?"_

Ignoring him, Aki pushed the latter's finger back to its original position with the tip of her finger. "Don't follow me, Tyki.** Promise me that you'll continue living on no matter what happens**."

"Aki… "

Lips in a straight and determined line, the young lady climbed over Tyki, her wrist supporting her weight. With her nose was barely away from his and her lean body blocking out part of the star-studded sky, Aki stared straight into the man's eyes, making him admire how beautiful they reflected his image as interpreted by her.

"Promise me, Tyki."

Those four letters sounded so sweet from her tongue, he thought, as he held her gaze. But how was he supposed to promise such a thing-?

"_Promise me, Tyki."_

Sighing, the young man allowed his hand to press his fingers along the side of her face. Was it her first time calling his name? It sounded so saccharine yet coarse against her delicate mouth. He felt a tight feeling in his chest when words spilled out from his mouth reluctantly. "_**I promise you, Aki.**__"_

"_Thank you,"_ said Aki with a sigh as she bent over him and planted a chaste kiss in between his eyebrows, both closing their eyes at the same instant.

_**"**__**That **__**I'll be there to catch you whenever you fall."

* * *

  
**_


	11. It's Only Fate To Forget You

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

**-**_**It's Only Fate to Forget You-**_

A/N: Glad to know that the content for the previous chapter had been alright. Less pairing this time round; but there would be more revelations. Hope you'll enjoy(:

* * *

_Did you guess at my happiness?_

_I guess not__, for I wear a mask for the world and failed to recognize it myself. _

_I need to confess my doubts, as I felt awkward feeling so._

_O__ne of the many qualities I have come to love in you _

_Is your ability to expand my narrow world-_

_H__ow to be human and to love. _

"It's cold," teased Momo as he wrapped his own arms around himself and shivered. "Hug me, Aki, to give me some warmth… Aki?"

Crack laughed and placed his hand on the latter's back. "I'm sure Tyki would mind that, wouldn't she? Aki?"

The young lady suddenly shook her head and looked up, surprised to find all three and a half man staring intently back at her. She had been in a daze, she noticed, and quickly thought up of something to answer. "I thought you were more interested in stripping for those teens?"

The group roared in laughter as they picked up their luggage to continue with their journey. Aki smiled weakly in reply. Her thoughts were still back in the train where they had met the group of three young men. She felt somewhat nostalgic when she saw their black clothes, lined with white that struck something in her. Something; she sighed because she could not recall what it was. Furthermore, the youngest lad whom Tyki insisted was an old man appeared familiar to her. Was he the same clown in her dream? But the hair-

_-Ring_

"Hey Tyki, it's your call. Man, you do have lots of such special jobs these few days eh?" said Crack helplessly as he passed the phone to the latter. The phone in the train station had a peculiar metallic smell to it, thought Tyki as he took the phone over. "_Hello,_ yes-" he paused a while with a frown that disappeared as immediately as it had appeared. "Yes, I understand. I'll be coming."

Ezzz tugged on Tyki's sleeves as he glanced at the bespeculated man with disappointed eyes. "Would Tyki be off again?"

Tyki smiled. Tenderly he fussed his hand over the blonde's soft hair and bent down to reach the boy's height. "I'll be away for quite some time this time round so behave, okay?"

Sticking his lower lips out, Ezzz nodded his head in silent and looked away to hide his frustration. "Tyki must take care then," he said eventually and went on to grasp Crack's hand.

"Hey," muttered Tyki as he gazed upon his sister, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't be so upset, I know you'll miss me," he teased, laughing as he gave a gentle smack on her arm and puffed out a steady stream of smoke from his cigarette.

Momo laughed instead. "Seems that our Tyki has finally begun to treat his sister better, eh? Come on Tyki, Aki doesn't even care. She's in her little own world again."

The young lady glanced up suddenly at the man as if having just been kicked out of her circle of oblivion. "I…" stuttered Aki, her words hanging in midair before feeling herself being dragged away and all the way behind a pillar, away from the other's view. His grasp on her felt strong as his fingers dug into her skin. A thick surge of tobacco smelled choked her as she felt herself being pinned to the brick wall. "What- what are you doing?"

"What's wrong?" asked Tyki in his usual nonchalantly yet demanding tone, his voice low and soft. A smile was on his face but Aki knew that there was more to behind the expression. "You'd been in a daze since we got off the train. Does your head still hurt?"

Aki shook her head and removed Tyki's fingers which had come to place itself gently at the side of her forehead. "It's nothing," she reassured the man as she tried to walk away from the space he had created. "You should get going soon."

"I'll be there for quite some time, Aki," said Tyki suddenly as he pulled her into his embrace, tightening his arms around her and burying his face into her hair. However, the latter only let out a loud laughter and pushed the man back. "It's not as if you'll never be back, silly. Now, shoo shoo," Aki said as she waved her hands at him.

All of a sudden, something cold struck Tyki, seizing his emotions harshly. The man let out an awkward chuckle and took a step away from _his sister_. He bowed a little at her and turned around to walk off, never returning a gaze back from there on.

_Why was it that it disturbed me how much my human side actually treasured you?_

Yet it was when he was able to stick his hands into his jeans pocket that he realized something flat and brittle was inside it. Turning the cloth out, a grin seized his face when he saw what that had been placed in it, a comforting feeling.

It was a maple leaf, the last one that had fallen_- _the one with a little hole near the stem of the leaf.

_Hey Tyki, did you know that it was meant to give you good luck?_

The sun shone down its warm rays though the clouds, showing that it still cared despite the chilly winter weather. His breath came out as a mist as the man exhaled, taking in energy for courage and strength to encounter the change of life he would have now. As he crossed under the train tunnel, a smile began to creep across his lips, spreading its wickedness.

"Yo Earl, good day to see you!" greeted Tyki as he approached the absurdly-dressed man, his fingers combing through his hair before placing a top hat on it. It was going to be havoc back home again, wasn't it?

* * *

They had appeared out of the blue, scaring everyone present as they hoarded closer, the melody of death approaching with each and every step. To them, the screams had sounded like soprano, the cries like tunes, and the shouts like opera. Music to them was all about emotions- raw feelings human possessed, and it would be at its best when fear struck a chord with them. Terror, that was what satisfied and fed them.

The group that now lacked one person stumbled back when they saw the crowd running towards their direction, face stricken with horror, as they tried to escape from whatever that was coming from the back. Soon they too were caught up in the panic and began to run as fast as they could.

"Ezzz," yelled Aki, forcing her way against the crowd to reach the boy. Why did their hands slipped at such a crucial moment? Her head was spinning and aching, as if someone had stabbed a knife in it and was rotating it at top speed. Yet no matter what, she was to reach the boy; she must.

"Aki!" exclaimed the boy in relief when the familiar face appeared right in front of her. He cried as she pulled him up to his feet, and was about to prepare himself to run again when the young woman suddenly stopped her tracks, staring up with an expression that sent fear shivering down his spine. "Aki?"

Aki let go of the boy's hand and pushed him behind her sternly. With a harsh tone, she ordered him to run and escape, her eyes fixed on the monsters and showed a look of recognition. _A fire cannot burn forever; it will soon consume itself or be consumed by others. _The monsters, gray and ugly, laughed as they inched their way closer, confidently approaching their prey with that horrendous smirk.

"Miss, you must hurry," said a man in an exasperated tone just a few feet away from her. He was some police officer, she realized. "Throw me your gun," she demanded, eyes still transfixed on the monsters. _Akuma was their name._

"Miss-"

"I said, throw me your gun."

"But there are no bullets in it…"

"Just pass it to me; I know what I'm doing."

Shaking, the policeman stumbled to take out his pistol and threw it at the young lady. Who was she-?

"I know why I can turn flames green now," said Aki in a monotonous tone as she took aim at the monsters, the gaze in her eyes hardening.

* * *

_I realize that when you cry hard enough in your dreams, you would find your cheeks stained the following morning.__** Yet why is it that when I look upon these people who I have come to love, I fail to cry out so as to wash out these sorrows now?**_

She could only feel her eyes dried and drained out even though her cheeks were dry as she stared out of the window, watching blankly as the trees and rocks flew past her, dashing, running as if there was no tomorrow. Images of what had previously happened flooded her brain, replaying and recalling each and every scenes and chapters. She wished for them to stop, but unlike a movie, such memories can never be played and stopped at will.

"-But there would be no one to teach Ezzz how to count and sing anymore," whimpered the young boy in between each heavy sobs. _"Aki-" _cried the latter as he broke down again.

"Ezzz-" comforted Crack as he wrapped an arm around the boy's small shoulder. "You're making things hard for her…She's not our Aki anymore…"

The young lady swallowed something in her throat, feeling it hurt as she tried to ignore the pain that slowly seized down to her heart. Is this what they call heartache- how many times must she endure it? Did she never really belong after all?

"Of course she's our Aki!" Momo interrupted as he smacked the girl on her head. "She will always be our Aki no matter what! But Aki," The man paused as he attempted a dramatic tone for additional effect. "Don't get knocked up again…"

"It's knocked out!" chided the lady in reply, before cracking up in laughter like the others. Amidst the joy, her thoughts wandered to the days that she had spent with them, where it had been without pretense, and only of fun and cheer. It was only then, she realized, that she could really laugh out loud and not be reprimanded for it. Ostracism was no problem here, neither was social ranking. Her life, for once, revolved around herself and not the others. Then as if something had struck her hard suddenly, the young lady glanced around within the boundary of her cabin window as she tried to look beyond her three friends who were standing in front of her window, before hurriedly shifted her glance back to them.

"I doubt Tyki's coming," said Crack gently when he noticed what the girl was doing. "_But,"_ Crack reached deep into his jacket and came out with his fingers wrapped around something. "That silly man did mention to me to pass you this if you ever leave without him sending you off."

Aki took over the object from Crack quietly and stared when she pried open her own fingers one by one to reveal the item- a craved bird from wood about the size of _his _fist.

"I guess he had already prepared himself to leave you already," muttered Crack as he placed a comforting hand over Aki's shoulder. He was tall enough to reach in anyway. "But I'm sure that he had always lo-"

The young lady immediately cut off his words. It seemed that Crack had known all along. "It's okay. Thanks, really." She tried to glance over them to see the station wagon. The bell soon began to ring. "Hey, the train's leaving."

"Bye," chorused the group as they waved in a mixture of emotions, voice trembling.

"Bye," she said weakly as her hands gripped harder onto the gift. It fitted her hand just right, just like how his hand had always managed to fit through the wrinkles and curves of her hand. His warmth still lingered even though he was gone during early winter and it was already late spring now. Cursing softly just like how he had always did, the young lady shifted her gaze back into the train and tried to erase off that image that had engraved so deeply into her head. She did not want to, also, look at that boy who so resembled her own brother if not for the blonde hair.

_Why, why did her heart ached so much to stroke the little boy by his cheek for just that one more time?_

She had to leave as she was Kaeda Amber, an aristocrat lady in the gentry with missions to accomplish, to kill; not Aki the aloof vagabond with only headaches and laughter.

She had to leave him behind too, that bespeculated man with his stubbly chin and calluses on his fingers; that man whom she had come to love.

She had to leave._ It would do him no good if she was to stay with him.

* * *

  
_


	12. Yet I Can Seem To Do So

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

**-**_**Yet I Can't Seem to Do So-**_

_It must be harsh on you, to see everything back again._

_Disgusting even; from your eyes as I observed the difference in you._

_I guess this was why I wanted to get near you, so that my Noah side could understand why_

_Why my human side had fallen so deeply for you to be loaded with worries_

_Even though, I was supposed to be aloof and carefree. _

_Stupid girl, you made the scab on my heart peel again._

"My lady," exclaimed Charles the butler excitedly when he opened the door to find a rugged-looking lady standing in front of him. His voice trembled from exhilaration as he quickly escorted her into her room when the latter hushed for him to be quieter. "I thought- I thought… Your rifle... It's been so long…" stuttered the old man as he stood politely outside while she changed.

"I know, Charles," the young lady sighed as one of her personal maid fussed over her clothes after her bath. "I'm sorry for worrying you by going off without informing anyone."

The old butler merely shook his head profusely. "It's nothing, my lady. It's only your right to be-"

Kaeda kept quiet and allowed the old man to talk as he rumbled about the small events that had happened and how he had panicked to the extent of alerting the heads. She had missed the old man's voice which had always sounded more fatherly and comforting than her own father's. However, she had not intended to let either two know about what she had been through. She was just going to let Charles assumed that she went on one of her long journeys again.

"My ladyship," said Charles suddenly in a stern tone that caused her to immediately abandon her thoughts and listen to him. "The tulips have arrived."

Kaeda frowned with frustration and wriggled her fingers uncomfortably. She was to be in formal clothes so as to greet her father, but it had been so long since she wore such attire, wasn't it? "I see," she muttered, allowing her thoughts to wander off once again before having to be back on serious matter once again.

"Also, my lady," said the old butler as shuffles of paperwork could be heard outside. "Her ladyship- your sister, had heard news of your return and would be delighted to organize a party to celebrate."

_This was how fate plays with us, wasn't it?

* * *

  
_

"Thanks for the invitation," greeted the refined aristocrat as he shook hands with the host of the party- Earl Amber of Burnsville. "It's my apologies that the Earl is unable to attend this significant occasion, Sir."

Earl Amber merely shook his head and chuckled. "It's okay," he said as he patted the young man on his back. "I'm glad to see you too. Do send my regards to the Earl too, Lord Mikk. It's really my daughter's honor to have you here tonight. She's currently dancing so it's really my apologies that she is unable to receive you at the moment. I'm sure she would be glad to see you too. Oh," stopped the man suddenly when his eyes caught something suddenly amidst the crowd. "Please do bear with me while I entertain the new arrivals, son."

Tyki smiled politely and nodded. Turning around to accept champagne from a passing waiter, he observed the glamorous flourishing and decoration the family had spent on just for a party. The Amber family was famous for its wealth, after all. The music was played by the finest brass group, he noted, as he took a sip from the sparkling liquor. And that was when the star of the day caught his eye.

Her gown was a drastic change from those that she had wore the last time he saw her since she was now decked in jewelry and feathers. Auburn satin covered her skin which he had remembered as smooth, flowers tied in her black hair which he recalled as silky and soft under his fingers while her lips were coated with shimmering gloss. A lady, she now was, blushing and laughing discreetly as she waltzed through the hall with another man. A duke, he realized, but frowned upon. Just then, the music ended artistically, which was shortly followed up by the couples breaking up and the crowd applauding. The next piece will soon be up and he had to swoop in- there seem to be much enthusiasm from the opposite sex about her.

"May I have the honor for the next dance?"

He could feel the surprise from the lady as he bent down a little to greet her. A smirk played on his lips when she gave him one of her hands, gloved with lace, and he took it courteously, leading her onto the dance floor. He had bowed down to kiss her hand, recognizing how small hers had always fitted in his.

Tyki made sure that his eyes looked into hers strongly before giving a polite smile as he placed his hand on her waist. He noticed, that since the moment she saw him, her eyes had a fleeting expression of coldness before hastily masked by a polite smile- one that was wore on everyone else.

"Please to have you back, _Lady Kaeda_," greeted the young man. "I believe this is not our first dance." He said smoothly, her name playing slyly on his lips. He knew it annoyed her for him, someone not even close to her, to refer to her by her name. Well, it had annoyed him to see not a single look of recognition from her.

"_My apologies, but you are?"_

The young man smiled as he made her did a turn. He was enjoying the pressure he could exert on her hand as he led her around. This woman obviously showed not the least bit of apology that she could not recall him. "Lord Tyki Mikk. I believe I have not told you my name previously." Would she make the connection in his name? He saw her black eyes, the pair that differed hers from her father's blue ones- Ezzz had the same shade, flashing a sudden shade of amber before forcing the corners of her lips to curve up again.

"_I'm pleased to meet you then, Lord Mikk."_

_Beautiful objec_t, he thought as he pulled her a little closer to him, thriving on the attention now diverted to them.

_Beautiful object; __**but was that all his pathetic human side had fallen in such a weak state for?**_

_Noah,_ she noticed immediately when she saw the debonair approaching her with careful wide strides. He was clothed in fine black dress, his waistcoat fitted his well-built body well, and his large neck cloth that had a rare jewel indicated all the wealth and power he held. They were finally making an appearance, weren't they?

"_Many people turned up today, don't you think so?"_

Kaeda tried hard not to scan through the crowd for more potential Noahs but it seemed that only this man held the color of the monster. She was surprised not to see the iconic crosses but decided to focus more instead on trying to get more out of this man.

"_Your trip must have been intriguing for you to stay away for so long…"_

The young lady tried to keep her cool as she felt the man's daring gaze venturing over her, something disturbing to have the man so close next to her on the dance floor, imprisoned by his strong embrace. Tight as his grip and hold on her was, she had felt him strangely graceful though.

"_I'm sure our lady here certainly enjoyed her trip, didn't she?"_

Yet he was a Noah- a monster on this world sent to deceive then destroy the world.

"_The company you had…"_

He had the same name as him, she thought to herself, as the man continued to indulge in their small talk. Same name, yet they seemed so different. It was disgusting, simple detestable and sickening. Her heart ached a little at the thought, but shook it off almost immediately.

"That must be your sister, I guess."

Kaeda suddenly diverted her attention back to the man she was supposed to converse with. Following his golden gaze, she sighed inevitably at the sight of a lady decked in emerald green who had her fan covering her mouth as she surrounded herself with other like-wise ladies of the gentry and stealing glances at them. Sighing, she nodded her head. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"She had been beaming at us the second we stepped out onto the floor," said the man as an amused expression hanged on his sharp features, his white teeth flashing charmingly at her.

"Oh, she's always like that."

"And from your expression, I guess you'd have preferred a brother instead?" Tyki teased and smirked when he noticed how the lady's expression changed for that fleeting second.

Kaeda fixed a smile on her lips thinly and shook her head. "Perhaps, but I do love my sister very much."

"And you wouldn't love your brother?" He pressed on further, laughing as the young lady tried harder to conceal her shock. It was just an innocent question, a coincidence; he chuckled bemusedly to himself.

"Indeed I would," shot the girl back before checking her tone. She paused to inhale deeply, before smiling once again, praying hard for this song to end soon. "If I were to ever have one…"

Tyki chuckled lightly as he let his hand slide away from Kaeda's waist. "Very well then." The music had stopped once again. "It had been a real pleasure dancing with you," he said gracefully and kissed her lightly on her fingers once again, before turning away to make his departure, not once returning another glance back.

* * *


	13. Memories Seem So Painful Now

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

_**-Memories Seems so Painful Now-**_

"_Dark matter has a gravitational effect on other objects. _

_You can't see it, you can't feel it, but you can watch something being pulled in its direction__."_

_Did you, my lady, even know what you had been talking about at that time?_

_Was this what they called fatal attraction?_

_

* * *

  
_

The crowd applauded when the curtains rose spectacularly up once again, revealing slowly but steady the new actors that would present another arc of the story. The stage background had changed from a formal setting of Athens royal court to a mischievous setting of dark woods. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare is a romance comedy that sets to present the fine line that sets apart illusion and reality, dark and light, dreaming and waking. What one might see at a certain moment might not really be the actual full view of the truth.

In other words, it was all **about lying to get something and lying to prevent someone from getting hurt- or yourself**. This was how the world worked, wasn't it? How this peaceful world is all just a deception that had been done so to prevent people from discovering the truth- that they were under the constant attack from the dark side, while the good side- _if you even chose to believe them_- was trying hard to defend them- its hard work done without much appreciation.

Kaeda Amber applauded politely along with the rest of the audience after shooting a stern warning at her older sister. She had agreed on coming out to watch this play with her sibling but the latter only seem to be interested in trying to engage meaningless conversation with her. Really, Shakespeare would turn in his grave to have someone appreciating his work in such a… _verbal way._

"Seriously, I really don't know what has happened to you," gushed the older lady as she waved a turquoise fan at herself then at her sister. "But the change in you, it's really great to see you welcoming society the way I _always _do."

Kaeda ignored her sister as she laughed at the affable character yet to be changed into an ass. It was a good thing that they had a balcony view to themselves- how embarrassing it would have been if others would to shoot disapproving look at her inconsiderate sister.

"I mean, look at the eager way those men fluttered around you, beaming at you, vying for _your_…"

"They were not beaming as brilliantly as you, my dear sister," said Kaeda acidly as she cut off the latter.

The older Lady Amber only laughed. "The Duke was especially…"

"You were smiling more at Lord Mikk," Kaeda looked up as she mentioned that name in particular, stunning her sister for a brief second. "_Lord Tyki Mikk."_

Cocking her head to an angle, her sister gave her a bewildered look before bursting into laughter. "So you do adore Lord Mikk after all. I had been thinking of matching you with the Duke. However, if it's his young lordship that you prefer, it's fine with me too. That young man, I would admit, is irresistibly dashing-"

"Did I know him from somewhere somehow?" queried Kaeda as she ignored what nonsense her sister was regurgitating again. The audience was now indulged in the monologue by the young lovesick lady- _Helena_. "He mentioned that we had danced before."

"Of course you did," cheered the older lady as her eyes beamed with enthusiasm. Kaeda noticed that her sister had picked her turquoise fan so that it could compliment her clear blue eyes well. "He was the young man at the mask party whom you had thought was Mr. Camelot! _Boy, it must have been fate…"_

Kaeda frowned a little at her sister's exclamation. The thoughts in her head did not seem to connect much with the latter's words. She decided to ignore that particular incident which she could not recall and allowed her sister to continue.

"Well, Lord Mikk's would be a really good catch, I would say," commented the older Amber lady before pausing to ponder. "Not as good as my sweet husband, but the young man comes from a reputable family. His brother, Mr. Sheryl Camelot, is the minister, while his uncle is an Earl too. This family holds a lot of power, it seems, and I remembered _Honey _did mention that many major military decisions were made by his brother."

"So the whole family is in this town?"

"Yes," nodded Kaeda's sister as her pretty brows furrowed in deep thoughts. "But the Earl is often out these few days. Lord Mikk comes in replacement for the latter. Then again, it's explainable with that pretty face of his… I heard he's quite a Casanova too; but that source's not really reliable. Furthermore, I'm pretty certain that my dear sister here would be able to tie him down. Wouldn't you? "

Kaeda rolled her eyes before bringing her binoculars up to them so that she could take a closer look at the ass-head the poor man had just been transferred to. "That is not what I would be interested in. Why did you say that _your dear honey_ is not here again?"

A sigh escaped from the young lady as she listened on to her sister's mindless rattle about her husband once again. She knew that it was the only way to divert her attention and was about to tune out her words when she realized that the curtains had fallen for an interval.

"It's the interval now, Sis, let's take a break from your verbal appreciation of Shakespearian work and_… Sis?"_ asked Kaeda in surprise to find the seat next to her pretty much empty. It seemed that the chatterbox had exited from the balcony faster than she did realize. Really, her husband must have a real job controlling her; she thought as the aristocrat walked out to the society once again with a fixed smile.

* * *

"Hope you enjoyed the interval, my ladyship."

Kaeda nodded her head politely as the male attendant lifted the curtains for her to get back to her viewing gallery. Her head spun a little from the champagne the other ladies had been piling her on but still managed to keep her consciousness. The show was just another cover for the society to mingle and gossip in; a fact she had long realized since attending the first theatre performance. She would have enjoyed it well if not for the socializing involved.

Sighing as she propped herself back onto the well-cushioned seat, she raised an eyebrow at the still-empty seat next to her. Seriously, she grumbled silently, why did her sister even bothered asking her along for accompany when she would be abandoning her halfway through? _Never mind then, I would now be able to enjoy the play in peace._ A small satisfied smile played on her lips as her eyes allowed themselves to transfix on the infatuation the fairy queen exhibited on the nonchalant ass-head: Titania and Bottom.

"_People of different class can never be together, can they?"_

Kaeda turned around immediately, stunned at the sudden intrusion of another voice, one that was both graceful and teasing. She stiffened suddenly and tried to keep her composure before smiling at the rude man. "If it isn't Lord Mikk," she greeted courteously at the lean man dressed in the height of fashion. _Was that a new jewel pinned to his neck-cloth?_

"Sorry for the intrusion. May I have a seat?" He asked amusedly, taking the seat when his female companion nodded her head. Her sister must have been sitting really close to her, he noted, when he realized that his thigh would be touching hers if he were to sit the full capacity of the chair. Feeling charitable, he decided to maintain some distance between them. "I'm glad that you have not forgotten me like the way you did previously. You'd alone?"

Kaeda nodded her head and explained. Smiling, Tyki listened and nodded his head too. He knew, of course, that her sister had abandoned her all of the sudden and had seen the younger lady from the Amber family bustling around, chattered and turned and twisted as she entertained the superficial talks of the gentry, giving a smile on one and a smirk on the other. _"Enjoying the play?"_

"Pretty much, but I do send my pity to that ass-head down there," answered Kaeda, her eyes not leaving the sight of the stage.

Tyki mused and peered down at the actor. "Why, because he has to wear such a heavy prop for a long duration?"

"No," said the young lady good-mannerly as she sighed and sent a sympathetic face to Tyki. "I pity that an ass-head cannot help but be one." She smiled weakly, allowing the corners of her lips to curve up a little. "Look, Hippolyta and Theseus are out."

Tyki clenched his jaws for control. _She enjoys playing with her words_, he reminded himself, sending a silent curse to no one in particular. "A good match, aren't they? _I woo'd thee with my sword and won thy love doing thee injuries._ Romantic huh."

Kaeda felt her eyes rolling imaginary at that. Instead, she smiled back. "I prefer non-violent stories."

"Is that a hint?" mocked Tyki before chuckling lightly when he saw that the latter's face was now folding into lines of disapproval and irritation that quickly smoothened out again. He decided to e nice and changed the subject. "Violent, wars. It's sad that we are watching plays about love here while the men at war now are pining for their own love."

Cocking a sarcastic brow up while still fixing her eyes on the performers, Kaeda's voice came out monotonous as she replied him. "It's sad; war that is. But there's no choice when we're under threat, ain't it? We have to fight," she said flatly. "That's what_ they_ all said."

"Yes, our war seems inevitable at the moment. Of course, our government would always have taken an alternative option if there was one, but in this case…"

"There was none right," finished the young lady for the lordship as her eyes hardened with a glaze- like a coat to protect her. "Oh, the ass-head is making a fool of himself again," she mocked gently and glanced at Tyki for a brief moment. A smirk slid on her lips when she noticed Lord Mikk's fist clenching tighter. _Did his jaw just twitch from anger or something?_

"Yes," swallowed Tyki as if that would prevent his irritation from erupting. "It had really been a humorous comedy indeed."

_Just you wait, young lady. _

_

* * *

  
_

"My lovely brother is home again," chirped the minister as he fluttered around the younger man like a starving butterfly around a newfound flower. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"_Yo,"_ greeted the latter sarcastically as he waved his brother off and propped himself onto a chair next to the Earl. He could hear the gentle chinking of china again each other and soft rustling of newspaper when it was flipped. "_Certainly."_

"I heard Shakespearean works are very entertaining," said Sheryl Camelot excitably as he stood behind the Earl, peering at the newspaper the latter was reading. The latest military news bored him, but there was a little advertisement about matchmaking that interested him. So this was what the society had been indulging in during these times of war- _really, humans. _

"Nothing but a bunch of superficial love stories," Tyki replied before a yawn caught his words.

"You shouldn't say that. _He is one of the greatest_-"

"Hey Earl," greet Tyki as he ignored his older brother who was infamously a fan of drama arts. Such a man would even be moved into tears by music and paintings. An irony; considering what he did for a living_- or for entertainment to be more exact._ On the other hand, the older Earl only gave a slight nod to indicate his interest.

"You remember that offer you two wanted me to make?"

"What-?" disrupted Sheryl as he cut himself in between the two men. Then it struck him and he burst out laughing. "Oh, that," he teased.

"_I already have someone in my mind for-"_

Sheryl forged a serious expression and mocked his younger brother. "It isn't all that easy, you know. This time it must be different from the other women you-"

"_And wanted to seek your-"_

"You need to woo and court her slowly, seeking for acceptance before-"

"_Consent about-"_

"Of course, I know who you have in mind, my dear brother. Quite a tough nut to crack but I would say that she would be a good choice. She's after all the-"

"_If you agree, then I would-"_

"Youngest daughter left to her father. Nonetheless, her immense fortune would go well with our power and-"

"Shut up, Bro," snapped Tyki as he glared at the latter before returning back to his calm composure. By now, Sheryl had decided to tune down and shut up for once to allow his_ cute_ brother to make his big decision. Even the Earl had decided to place his _Herald Times_ down for once.

The birds hiding in the shades of the trees continued to chirp while the butterflies around the bushes of flowers continued to flutter despite the decision made by the young man that would affect all their life drastically. The cool afternoon wind, it was spring after all, blew gently at the three, caressing their hair as it did so. Tyki took a sip of English Afternoon tea which one of the maids just offered. It tasted just right on his tongue, the way her name, no matter what it would be, often did.

"**I will be asking for Lady Kaeda Amber's hand."**

_I will be accomplishing that. _

_

* * *

  
_

A/N: A Midsummer Night's Dream_ is really a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare and all the quotes here were taken from the text itself. The characters includes Bottom the craftsman who was transformed into an ass-head by some magic, Titania the fairy queen who under influence of some love potion fall for the former when he was in his bestial form, resulting in much comedy. Hermia is one of the four lovers in the play where she falls crazily for a man whom loved her not so much so that she was willing to risk anything, while Hippolyta and Theseus are kinda minor characters in the play taken from history. I hope that would solve much doubt. _Herald Times is a newspaper popular in the Victorian Times. I don't know what post Sheryl holds, but am pretty certain that it involves the control of troops. Yep, hope you enjoyed this chapter. btw, if the conversation btw Sheryl and Tyki gets confusing, just read them by alternate lines

* * *


	14. Why Didn't The Firecrest Leave

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

_**-Why D**__**idn't the Fire-crest Leave?-**_

_Perhaps things would have been better,_

_If I had let you go earlier, and you would have never left me forever. _

_Are- are you happier there?_

Her heart tightened as if someone had clutched his cold fist over it, robbing it of its warmth it was supposed to possess. It was only natural to have a heart- one that it beats and loves. What happens when someone steals it, leaving it hollow and cold?

_Tyki,_ Kaeda mouthed that particular saccharine word to herself, playing with the articulation and how the tongue and lips moved when it was pronounced. Her heart ached as a sudden sensation came over her, leaving her with nothing but chill at the thought that particular name seemed to be fading with every passing moments. That was how fear felt like, gripping you with its skeleton-like fingers, digging into your flesh.

Her finger trembled slightly as it slowly moved down the coarse throat of the small bird, feeling the delicate features under her skin, marveling at its workmanship. It resembled a bird she had seen before, but what? Closing her eyes for that brief moment, she allowed her thoughts to fly like a bird, soaring in the sky so that she never would have to care a heck about this mortal world. The feeling of having clouds seeping through your fingers, playing with rain before it gets polluted by human filth, and seeing the first stream of sunlight. That was freedom; wasn't it?

"_My Lady?"_ asked a gentle voice as it peeped through her door. It was her lady maid, she recognized as she turned her head around after placing the wooden figurine hastily back on the table. "Master would like you to get dress immediately and report to him downstairs as soon as possible."

Kaeda frowned but nodded her head nonetheless. Why would her father, someone who always dreaded the sight of her presence and could not wait to marry her off, want to see her all of the sudden? The two, after her sister had married off to her honey, lived in separate lives even though they stayed in the same mansion. Pondering, she stood up unconsciously and allowed the maid to prepare her dress.

* * *

"_Father,"_ she greeted reluctantly as she strolled down the stairs to find the latter sitting on the couch with someone else who had his back to her. The smile that played on the old Earl's face made her all the more suspicious. "What did you call for me for?"

"Oh my _dear_ Kaeda," responded Earl Amber as he stood up briefly. Kaeda felt her heart freezing when she recognized the man who had been talking to her father. The same shade of gray which undertone sinister motives, the same hue of gold that sets human lives aflame. "I just had a good little chat with this promising young man here. Seriously, you should have prepared me for such a pleasant surprise by informing me earlier. I'm not young anymore, _sweetheart_."

The young man smiled politely as he bowed over to greet Kaeda, placing a kiss on her hands which were not gloved. Her skin felt cool and pale under his touch. "His lordship here is certainly humorous here, Kaeda. You have got a good father."

"And you would have a good husband too, my lovely daughter," bemused the old Earl as a chuckle strengthened the pretentious atmosphere. "Now, you too shall have a good chat outside. Lovebirds can't do without each other for too long a time."

Kaeda stared at the two in shock as she felt herself being pushed out to the garden. It was pretty, really, the garden- but much prettier before her father had decided to refurnished the whole design. It was his way to forget the mistake he had done to her mother. She could feel her mind racing and colliding within the boundaries of her skull as she tried to join up the pieces of her father's speech.

"I hope you're young enough to take this surprise, Kaeda," said the debonair as he leaned on one of the statues and looked out into the big opening facing them. "You must be wondering what this was all about."

The young lady glared at the man for a brief moment before pursing her lips together to hold the outrage within her. That rude man had conveniently decided to omit out her status by referring to her name directly, ain't it? "May I know what this all about,_ Lord_ Mikk? My father and your lordship seem to be very pleased with something I may not know of."

A smirk crept over Tyki's sharp features as he turned around to face the latter directly. Her hair looked a little auburn under the sunlight, he realized. "It's _Tyk_i, my lady," he mused. "Nothing; really. I've only asked for your hand in marriage."

"What?" exclaimed Kaeda almost immediately before realizing that she too had lost control over her emotions; like a disturbed horse running down the marketplace. Her throat tightened as the horseman tried to hold the reins in. It sickened her to tone down her voice. "You have got to be kidding me, Lord Mikk. We barely know each other."

_That__'s what you think,_ thought Tyki silently, as he gazed into the pair of brown eyes that burnt like a forest when ignited before shifting his gaze away to observe a particular bird standing motionlessly on a tree- _maple._

"Time is not important when it comes to issue like this. By the way, his lordship- your father, has agreed to this proposal."

_Proposal;_ Kaeda grinded the word as she scrutinized it mentally over and over again. He made it sound like it was some sort of plan, accomplishment and hypothesis. The acid in her throat thickened as a thought slowly conjured in her mind. A fire, when uncontrolled, could burn down everything in its path. "But that's my father's mindset. I believe we need more time about this. Unless, of course, it's my father's hand you are really interested in."

Tyki felt his jaws clenching. Nonetheless, he filed his tone smooth before speaking. "To you your father should be as a **god**," said the man nonchalantly. "Wasn't that what Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream had said?"

"And to me the others should be as an opposite," answered Kaeda back. "I'm surprised you were even watching the play, Lord Mikk, but didn't you see what had happened in the end? Nothing comes out when forced, my Lord."

Tyki scowled mentally at the insult the latter had just thrown her. How dare she call him an animal- _a dog_? "Time will get us there," responded the young man, determined to win this war.

_"If I throw a stick, will you leave?_" responded the young lady nonchalantly, as if the insult was nothing.

The Noah could almost feel himself snapping. How would it feel like to yank her by her lovely soft hair right up to his face? He glared at Kaeda and was even more annoyed to find her still appearing calm over the whole situation. Then a smile sliced his annoyed face and played over his lips as he took a step closer to her, his face creeping from her back and resting right next to her face. He could feel her muscle tensing under the sudden close proximity. With a sweet, intimate yet demanding tone, he whispered into her ear.

"You have pretty much no choice, you know, but to marry me, Lady Kaeda."

Kaeda immediately stepped back in her attempt to knock him backwards and was annoyed instead when the man was quick enough to hold her back in his arms. She shook the man politely off and took a stride away.

"And why is that so?"

Tyki sneered and turned to leave.

"Because no man will dare to take the girl that Lord Tyki Mikk wants," he said softly and accepted his coat and top hat from the gateman. "Have a good day, my Lady."

Kaeda stared at the diminishing figure in disbelief as her hands tightened into a fist. _Just how far would a ball of flame take to travel that distance to hurt and burn all its obstacles?_

"I see you have a little dispute with that young son, Kaeda,' said a sudden low voice as it appeared right behind her. It was, of course, her father the magnificent Earl. "I don't see what's wrong with this decision, young lady."

Kaeda cringed in disgust at the sudden change in her father's tone. "Perhaps, Father, but such decisions are too impulsive."

"There is nothing wrong, my young lady. This is perfect. Perfection, I say," said the old Earl, his voice raising a little.

"Sure, there is nothing wrong, Father, it is a perfect match for the youngest daughter of the wealthy Amber family to marry the influential Lord Tyki Mikk whose family chances to control almost the whole country," replied the young lady as her throat tightened. "If your definition of perfection is without the thought of care and happiness, Father, this would have been a perfect match. Was this how it had been when you married Mama too?"

"It's my final decision and you shall heed it," shouted the old man in raw frustration after his youngest daughter as she stormed up into her room, the way her mother would when she was upset. Those set of brown eyes; they might as well gorge out his soul.

* * *

Kaeda tried to calm herself down when the headache that probed in the back of her skull made her giddy. While trying to steady herself, she rested on the dressing table and shooed out her lady maid. Her eyes lingered a little on the wooden figurine that stood out on her table, and closed them momentarily to keep that image in her mind longer. As usual, it ceased the fire in her and she opened her eyes again. That was when she noticed the thick stalk of tulip placed on her table.

Grabbing her coat, she steadied herself over the window grill before leaping out.

An unsettling thought told her that she would have agreed to be able to get closer to her targets in this way months ago. She would have been willing to sacrifices what they called eternal happiness at the long aisle scattered with flower petals. However, why was it that her heart cringed at the thought of it now? **Was being happy all that important to her now that she had **_**had a taste of it**_**?

* * *

**


	15. Crying, Laughing, Lonely

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

**-**_**Crying, laughing, lonely-**_

_Stars may appear next to each other, so close such that they even appear inseparable. _

_You may see only one on certain days but that is because the other is in hiding or simply did not wish to be seen. _

_Yet in actual fact, stars are very far apart, so much so that you may require a few light years to reach there. _

_That would be like an eternity since it would be hundreds of Earth years. _

_Hence, it is only when one of them falls down that the pair could really be closer to each other, even for that brief passing moment._

_That was what I had always known, but refused to believe in, Aki._

* * *

The loud clashing of balls striking each other could be heard as the young man walked in. Removing his coat in which he passed onto a servant by the door, the debonair shifted his waistcoat and adjusted his gloves, before picking a cue stick that suited his preference.

His feature frowned when he noticed that the people in this room were particularly oblivion to his presence. Something else seemed to have attracted their attention, he concluded from the way the group clustered together. Moving towards the crowd, anger consumed him when he saw what that was presented starkly in front of him.

She was there, Lady Kaeda Amber, holding onto the cue stick masterfully as she made use of the spider to get in yet another red ball in. Not only it was rare and sometimes frowned upon for a girl to be appearing in a billiard room, the fact that she was good at it was bound to create some fuss in society. Cheers followed the ball as it dropped into the net.

Tyki was about to call out to her when he noticed a particular man hovering around her. It was the same Duke who had danced with her, he realized, and swallowed something uncomfortable in his throat.

"That's a really good point, Lady Kaeda, now if you try this angle, you would get a better chance of scoring," tutored the other man as he positioned the lady's cue stick.

Trying to consume his anger and not let it erupt, Lord Tyki Mikk made a swift movement to get into the crowd. The gentleman cocked his head at an angle and greeted the pair with as much patience as he could. The sight of the other man holding on to her hand sent his nerves boiling.

"I'm _surprised_ to see you here, Kaeda," said Tyki as he smiled warmly at the latter, noting how her smile froze with annoyance when he referred to her with such endearment. From the corner of his eyes, he made it a point too, to smirk at how the Duke was twitching with discomfort at the sight of him. "And oh _our_ Duke is here too," he said sarcastically.

"Please to meet you here, Lord Mikk," said the lady acidly as she put down her cue stick. The Duke only gave a smile and some polite words back to the gentleman. Then a confident grin flashed on his pale features as he looked up at the younger man.

"Lord Mikk, I have long heard of your skills. Why don't we have a round or two to…_you know…_ show your talents in billiard?"

Tyki hid his smirk as he dazzled his trademark smile back, making sure that Kaeda would back off from the game. "I guess I have no choice but to humbly accept your invitation then, Sire."

The balls soon began to drop in the nets when Tyki picked up his stick, first breaking the formation before attacking the balls. It was simple, the latter knew, to defeat this Duke who was so eager to beat him in something. Though his nobility rank was much higher, it was no hidden fact that Lord Mikk was much more fearsome than anyone else present here. And certainly, to compete with him over anything would be akin to digging his own grave.

"It had been luck," said Tyki humbly when the last ball dropped in. It took the latter much effort to hid his victorious grin as he observed how the Duke's face had changed drastically. "It has really been a long day. I shall take my leave then."

Yet he was about to call for his young lady when he realized that she had long slipped away during the game. He understood how she had felt about the game and felt even more triumphant at the thought that the he had beaten one more obstacle.

_I've told you I will always get what I want.

* * *

_

"Something lovely must blown you here, Countess Amber," greeted the gentleman as he entered the room and waved for the maid attending to his visitor to take her leave. "I must say that I was indeed a _little _surprised by your visit."

The older Amber lady laughed. Taking a sip of black tea held in fine ivory, she smiled at the young man and nodded her head. "_Not_ as much as it surprised me with _your _decision, Lord Mikk."

The waiting room the two were in was quiet except for the two talking and the occasional chinking of cups against saucers. Nonchalantly, Tyki glanced up at the paintings that framed the walls in this room, stopping his attention when it reached to a particular one. Like her younger sister, Countess Amber was good with playing with her words, making sure that their true intended meaning was well-concealed behind each and every word. They were almost like a pair of carbon printing, except for that particular set of blue eyes that set her apart from Kaeda's black ones.

"Are you unhappy with it, my Ladyship?" asked the debonair, making his voice low and deliberately worried. He was prepared to fight his way through again. _He had won the other Amber girl anyway_, or so he thought. "I'm certain that much thought and emotions had been put through this."

Countess Amber nodded her head once again. She took a sip of her tea again, tasted how it sweetened her tongue, and swallowed the hot beverage before sighing softly. "I am, actually, happy with it."

Tyki cocked up his brows in surprised and held back his urge to whistle at the support. His lips parted, intending to say something to thank her, but stopped when he noticed that the latter had something to say.

"The society has been making it a talking point after your little feud with the Duke," said the lady, her voice underlying with much concern. "It has made things pretty obvious, Lord Mikk. Please, keep to your words and not hurt my sister."

A smirk sliced opened Tyki's lips despite her words but he hid it away from her. "_I will-"_

"Make sure that you truly love her, young man," cut off Countess Amber as she took yet another sip of her tea and paused a little to observe the painting that she had noticed the young man had been staring at. While she was only a few years older than Kaeda and perhaps of the same age as Tyki, she could not help but treat the latter as someone who was much younger and perhaps more reckless. "She's the only sister I have."

Tyki nodded his head nonchalantly and smiled. "_I'll be sure to-"_

"Do not hurt my sister if you do not love her so," warned the lady as her blue eyes glared over, ignoring the Noah's words. "She has lived a loveless life enough. I don't wish to hurt her any further and would not allow anyone to do so."

"_I__t will be my duty to-"_

"You will make sure that she is loved, Lord Mikk," interrupted the Countess once again. "Kaeda, my sweet little sister, has been… _My father_… he found her resemblance to our mother too similar. So since her death, Kaeda has been neglected…and scorned upon by our father, _She.._."

The lady paused a while before swallowing something hard in her throat even though she had already placed her tea down, looking apologetic at the broken words she had said. "Just- just make sure that you'd take care of her, Tyki."

The young man diverted his gaze from the painting to Kaeda's sister immediately. That was unexpected, really, seeing how much Earl Amber had treated his daughter that day. That family was weird, he concluded. Like Sheryl, the lady had a problem of cutting into people's words, but unlike the Noah, she had much more feelings even though both of them love their family deeply.

"Take my words, Countess Amber, that I will make sure she's taken care of," assured the gentleman as he took the lady's hand and kissed it.

Countess Amber blushed and sighed as he did so. Standing up to take her leave now that she was comforted, she curtsied a little and made her way out before stopping briefly at the door. "She's after all, my only sister," muttered the noble lady, her face presenting a firm sign of faith as she looked into the young man's golden eyes. _Can fire ever really be contained and tamed?_

Tyki nodded his head even though he was certain that the lady would not be able to see. _Of course you are,_ he thought nonchalantly, as he looked at the small figure that began to fade gradually. Then he diverted his attention to the painting. He had never realized it for all these years he had lived here, yet it was now when he set his eyes on it that he realized what it meant to feel connected to a particular painting.

It was, after all, an oil painting depicting the bloody scene of the Aztecs human sacrificing ceremony- _when a heart was stolen from another unwillingly to be presented to the Gods to pray for peace.

* * *

_

Kaeda felt the strong surge of annoyance overwhelming her as she stepped into the famous mansion of the Earl family. Or the Noah family, she reminded herself, as she took in her surroundings. It was not here first time here and certainly, her house was just as glamorous and lavish as compared to this. Yet it was contained much more love and warmth, a little subconscious voice told her, as one of the mansion's butler led her into the waiting-room.

The aristocrat family had invited her for tea and her father had made sure she was to accept them. Reluctantly, she agreed but knew well that it was all just an act to get closer. Yet her thought could not help but creep back to barely a week ago where the incident had happened in the billiard room. It was obvious, really, that the proud man was openly challenging the Duke. Even so, how was one to know if his billiard skills were not assisted by his Noah power?

"_Thank you_," said the young lady politely as she accepted the door held open for her. As she scanned the room, she could not help but noticed the amount of well-known paintings that hanged on to the walls of this room like tears to one's cheeks. The artwork consisted mainly of impressionist pieces that depicted nature and scenery, but there was one piece that stood out from the rest. Curious, Kaeda was about to make her way closer to it when a loud voice interrupted her thoughts.

"This must be the famous Kaeda, isn't it?" chirped the voice as a young girl of about twelve years old stood at the door and beamed at her. Her eyes, like Lord Mikk's, had a certain sort of gaze over it that seemed so cold. Yet as fleeting as her thoughts, the gaze soon cleared, and Kaeda found herself staring right back at a pair of beautiful eyes.

"I guess I'm," laughed the young lady as she smiled politely at the girl. "And you are?"

The girl beamed a smile as she bent down with a cheeky, satisfied look. "Rhode Camelot, Tyki's niece. That guy has been talking a lot about you, _you know_."

Kaeda allowed her lips to curl awkwardly. _Did she carry the genes too?_ Noticing the pile of paper and books Rhode has wrapped her thin arms around, the lady pointed to them and gave a questioning look to the young girl.

"Mathematics homework," said Rhode as a yawn soon came up and muffled her words "Can you help me with it, _pretty please?"

* * *

_A/N_: Emphasises on conversation btw Kaeda's sister and Tyki which will provide hints on some exorcists stuff and what happened in the previous chapter  
_


	16. Would You Reach To Me

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

_**-Would You Reach to Me-**_

_I had remembered that night as we lay down and watched the stars danced above us. "Hey Tyki," you had asked as you slid your slender fingers in between my coarse ones. "Would you forgive me if I ever forget you?" _

_Well, I would always remember that I had answered "no", kissing a chaste kiss on our intertwined hands. _

"_But I will make sure that you will remember me again no matter what. And don't you ever forget."

* * *

_

It had been for about three years from now, since the butler came in after the house had been refurnished and renovated from the burnt down. He had introduced himself as Charles only, and was recommended in by letter. Yet it seemed that she had known him since birth, because of the caring way he had often treated her. Like a father-figure, but much stronger than her own actual father.

It had always been him who held out his hand whenever she sat on the floor defeated and exhausted, telling her to come up once again to beat the odds, and to persevere on no matter what. That particular way his lips would crook when he grinned, sending hundreds of ripple and waves through his features, that special way his eyes would gleam with shimmer and kindness as he handed her the next mission and rifle with much concern and sympathy, and that soothing voice of his which would calm all tides in her.

He was Charles, the head butler of the Amber family, the one who was the closest to her in the family apart from her sister, **the man who never made her stop accepting the first and last tulip**.

* * *

"And if you were to subtract this like that, you would find that the number does not get as confusing as this. Understand? Now do have a go at it," said a soft voice that Lord Tyki Mikk immediately recognized as music to his ears when he gently turned the knob of the door. Bemused, the young man was about to call out the two girls when the scene that greeted his eyes made him stopped.

"Yes, that's right Rhode. See, you have got it. The rest of the questions test around the formula so you shouldn't have a problem-" said the young lady as she nodded her head patiently and followed every number that his niece was writing. The two were so engrossed in their tuition session that they did not even realized that someone else had entered the room. He would have to admit, that it had taken him by surprise to see his blue headed niece there- he was only expecting the young Amber lady.

Tyki stood in silence as he took in the scene in front of him. Suddenly, a surge of overwhelming feelings came over him and he was back to his past again, strolling towards a young lady and boy who were squatting on filthy ground and drawing it with a tree branch. Once again, he could feel the patience that he often so wished that she would give him and to finally see her smile without giving him chilly hostility.

He observed slowly, how her hair was now neatly tied up in a tight bun near the top of her head, how the way her dress revealed her shoulder the way it did when his shirt was on her, and how her genuine smile always made a small dimple on her right cheek that would have gone unnoticeable if one did not look closely. Then he noticed a frown on her lips that appeared suddenly, spoiling the picturesque scenery. One of her hand slid slowly to the temple of her head and the young lady looked away as she massaged her head. It was as if she was twitching in pain_- had her headache not stopped?_

"Oh," exclaimed the young lady suddenly and Tyki snapped out of his daze- _what had he been thinking?_ His grip on the item in his hand tightened. Just as fleetingly, the lady's voice turned back to its usual monotonous mode. "My apologies, I did not noticed your presence."

"You shouldn't be, Kaeda," said the man calmly as he cocked an eyebrow charmingly at her. He scowled a little when she ignored him. With wide and confident steps, he crossed the distance between them and stood behind her chair, looking down. Tyki could, as remembered, smell the sweet maple sweet he was so used to on her. Daringly, he decided to place his left hand on her shoulder, and smirked, when he sensed her emitting even deadlier aura. _He was a Noah after, the one who had the power to pass through what if wanted, and touch whatever that he fancied._ "I should be the one who should apologize for entering without making my presence known. Furthermore, you should be comfortable in this house, my _dear, _this will be where you'll be staying soon."

Tyki's smirk deepened when he noticed the flame burning in Kaeda's eyes. "That is too close an endearment and I pretty much enjoy where I am staying currently, Lord Mikk."

"Really?" questioned the debonair, his tone curled slyly around her neck.

"Yes." Kaeda replied flatly.

"Hey hey! Don't forget about my presence, you pair of lovesick birds," protested Rhode all of a sudden as she sent a smashing punch to Tyki's abdomen. "I will bear none of this prejudice!"

Kaeda frowned doubtfully when she noticed the hastily expression of real pain etched on the man's features. _Surely a little girl's strength would not inflict as much pain as Innocence would, wouldn't it?_

Tyki clenched his jaws and managed a chuckle. "I believe you have met my exuberant niece, Rhode Camelot, and provided her with much help in her homework, _dear_. Seriously, this girl had been bugging me with unsolvable questions since school started."

"She is, I believe, an extremely intelligent girl, aren't you, Rhode?"

_The same patience with Ezzz,_ he noticed, before casting that thought away. Suddenly recalling what he had intended to do before stepping into the room, Tyki whistled, "But of course, how can I forget about this," he said bemusedly, before sticking a flower out of nowhere in front of the lady. "I believe there are prettier flowers than this, but I do hope you would appreciate this, my Lady."

Noticing the sudden silence that had seized Kaeda, he chuckled. "You can't be surprised by how romantic I can be right, can you? If you don't like this, I can always get you other flowers-"

"_Where_-" stumbled Kaeda as fear gripped her by the throat, before sending its chilly shivers travelling down the rest of her body. "_Where_ did you get_ this_?"

Tyki felt his touch on her shoulder brushing away abruptly when the latter stood up suddenly. The auburn colored tulip dropped onto the floor, imitating the way a falling star would.

"Answer me!" Kaeda yelled as the color drained from her cheeks which he was so familiar with.

Unexpectedly, the young lady had gripped the front of his crisp white shirt, crumbling all the peace that it was supposed to annotate. The strength possessed, he realized, was much stronger than he would have expected it to be. Stunned, Tyki's eyes widened as he answered her, "An old lady sold it to me, telling me to give it to you no matter what even though I had told her that you would not like this sort of flowers. Honestly, what's the fuss-"

"Where is she?" cried Kaeda as she pulled her grip on Tyki's shirt tighter, disregarding the fact that Rhode was already up from her seat and had a look of concern hanged on her young features. "Where did you find the old lady?" Her words came out firm and individual, as if afraid that the latter would not understand her.

"…_Down the street, by the alley_," said Tyki uncertainly as he tried to steady everyone in the room. "My my, what is it that you're _so_-"

"Damn," cursed the young lady as she interrupted him by releasing her grip on her and dashed out of the room.

_What if the star had indeed fallen?

* * *

_

She ran, with fear gripping over her heart, with as much speed as she could. The coachman had yelled after her in disbelief but she disregarded this. Her legs strained from the stretched effort to maximize her power, to run as fast as she could, and to save every precious little second.

_Please be alright; please be alright, _she prayed silently. "Please be alright!"

The yell echoed back from the woods, as the mansion was concealed within the forest, separated from the city. She could feel some hot sensation scalding her corner of her eyes as she raced against the harsh wind. A slight sense of relief came over her to ease her pain when the city finally came to view and she racked her brain to recall what Lord Mikk had mentioned about the old lady. The young lady darted and raced through the streets, ignoring the stares that accompanied her shadow. She questioned passer-bys randomly, picking the elderly and prayed for someone who would provide some clues.

Yet the old lady described by Lord Mikk was nowhere in sight. _Was he lying? What had he found out?_ Thoughts crush her brain as she tried to analyze the situation, when something made her stop to turn down the alley.

_Down the alley,_ that Noah had said before she dashed out of the house. Instinct, sixth sense, Innocence, whatever it was, it was better to take this chance then to wander down the street aimlessly.

Then she saw _him._

He was unrecognizable at first sight, slumped against the dirt stained wall without much seeming strength left within. Like a withering plant, her heart etched at the thought as she slowed down and approached the man. He was whimpering; the sound of death that she had been so accustom to that it hurt her, as his eyes laid closed and his breathing was visibly taking a toll on his body.

Blood seeped through the cracks on the ground and extended its claws to her, gnawing at her soul. It had managed, with its power overwhelming hers, brought her down to her knees. The deep red liquid stained her fine dress coldheartedly as it flowed from the silt on Charles' throat, disregarding the raw emotions that flung themselves at her. Her hair, long and black, tumbled by her side along with her composure.

"_Charles-"_ she stumbled, as she crawled to the old man. His breathing seemed to be weaker at her every step closer to him. Struggling, she tried to carry him up to his lap for comfort, but knew better than to touch his body and worsen the pain. "Charles, _what _happened?" her voice trembled, as her fingers lost heat to the cool surface of his skin. The old butler had his white hair stained red, she noticed, as his eyes struggled to open to look at his young master.

"_Gen-ne-" _

"Don't," Kaeda interrupted his as she held onto his hand, hoping for it to regain some heat. She could feel her vision blurring as the veils of her eyes came down despite her desperate attempt to turn those taps off. "_Call me that_. I- I'll_ get_ you help now…"

However, the old man shook his head. Struggling, he tried to muster his remaining strength and returned a grip back to the young lady's fingers. Kaeda could feel her heart being stabbed by a dozen blunt knives at the way his fingers trembled. The colour on his face was draining with each passing second. "It's no use, _General_…"

"No!" yelled the lady as she shook her head in protest. "You were the one who told me to hold on no matter what! You were the one _who-_"

"_Cross,"_ A small smile etched weakly on Charles' lips as he sighed in exhaustion and relief. His features soon started to relax, letting go as he finally gave in.

"No Charles!" Kaeda cried out, her voice piercing the night sky. She failed to know what his last words were. Yet like everything, it soon faded gradually, ceasing into non-existence. _"No…"_

_How much fear and agony was one suppose to experience before admitting defeat?_

"Kaeda."

That voice sounded chilly to her despite the long duration of years that had separated them. It sounded nostalgic, harsh even, as it slid down the back of her throat to her spine. She would never, never ever, forget that deep coarse voice that once too often whispered beside her ear. _How was one supposed to forget the first person who had stolen her heart and returned only part of it? Did she even recover from the damage done?_

The young lady trembled as she stood up slowly, before turning around reluctantly to face a man she was so familiar with. He looked the same as before with that charismatic smile of his and brilliant red hue of hair that shone to another shade under the sun even though his mask was missing. He was, after all, someone filled with sunshine yet decided to stay in the dark. In the dark, just like how he was right now.

A stiff frown hanged over his mouth and he opened his arms to her. Yet the young lady only shook her head and took a step back. She had grown up a lot, he noted, before letting his arms fall by his side. _Grown up and away_. He casted away those thoughts and looked upon Kaeda seriously, wanting so much to wipe those tears away, but he knew it was over.

"Kaeda," he said gently, taking a step closer to her though maintaining the respect she wanted. "You have to be more cautious now. Remember what I told you about the double war? The internal one is getting heavier now and certainly bloodier. I wouldn't be able to mentor you anymore, but I can see the change in you now. Kaeda-" he paused, noticing that the young lady was not listening to him at all. "You must get back up, that's what Charles taught you, didn't he?"

"The tulip," muttered Kaeda acidly as she said out her words with much contempt and doubt, disregarding what the man even had to say. "You were the one who sent the old lady, didn't you? Darn. Did- did you kill Charles?"

"No," answered the man flatly while his crimson hair danced splendidly along with the wind. "It had been the crows. They did it as a warning to-"

"Make sure that I remain faithful, eh," finished the young lady nonchalantly, her fist clenching by her sides. "What a_ most_ effective way."

Laughing hollowly, the older man squatted next to Charles and prayed silently, as if he was nothing but another dead being. "I believe you will do what's necessary, Kaeda. _Remember_-"

"_Duty or desir__e," _answered the latter nonchalantly as she too, squatted next to her old butler, feeling yet another subconscious drop of tear staining her dress.

Cross smiled weakly, pleased to find her usual self still intact. The sky was getting darker, he noticed, before diverting his full attention back to the pair of burning amber eyes. "And your choice is?"

Kaeda flashed a dark look back at the man beside him, before placing a hand over the cold one that lied motionlessly on the floor. "You should know better than that, _Mariam Cross_."

The ex-general nodded his head in satisfaction, grinning as he passed the sealed envelope that had its corner stained maroon to the young lady. The night had already come unknowingly to them, casting its shadow like a protective blanket over them. Gently, he placed a hand over her shoulder and gave it an assuring pat. "Then do it well, _General Amber_."

If words and promises could tear down the sky, the world would have been battered and bruised with numerous fallen stars. Yet now her tears could only be shed hastily and then quickly concealed by what she believed was blood.

* * *

A/N: Surprise! Sorry if the revelation is abrupt, I've tried to give as many hints with the previous chapters, so am not sure if it's obvious enough. I'll try to answer as many questions as I can, so do throw them in _with a way I can reply back_. If I don't, it should be answered by the remaining plot. Hope you enjoyed this chapter

* * *


	17. As I Beg For You To Stay Away

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

_**-As I beg for you to stay Away-**_

_A/N:_ I got emo after this chapter, gah. Sorry. Please, do try "Goodbye My Lover" as the song for this chapter- I prefer the acoustic version though.

* * *

_Hey Aki, have you ever considered that _

_If you have someone you love and she dies, do you stop saying that you have one?_

_Or are you always a lover, even when the other half of the __pair is gone?_

_Would I still have you with me… always?_

The door grunted opened as the servants jostled around him, attending to his needs and demands when the aristocrat stepped into the grand mansion. It was the sight of lavish and wealth again, the world of power and struggle to stay on top.

"Welcome back, my dear brother," greeted a man as he held his arms with generosity. "So how was the funeral?"

"_Don't bother_," muttered the younger man. Handling his top hat and cane over to a maid, he grumbled in annoyance as a warning for the man, Sheryl Camelot, to not bother him. The young aristocrat then dragged his feet to his study-room, before flopping himself on the arm chair. He inhaled the musky smell of the books in this room and sighed out loudly, as if hoping that would expel his emotions too. No, why was his heart experiencing all these pains yet again even though he was supposed to be fully awakened? What did it, really, took be a Noah?

A knock broke his peace and a head popped out of the crack. "_Lord Mikk_, there is a list of-"

Tyki Mikk grumbled and waved the butler off with an easy hand. "Leave that for tomorrow," he said, before resting his head onto his right hand, wishing for the exhaustion to sink in and away. The young man's thoughts began to wander off, as he sat on his luxurious chair, and replayed the events that had just happened.

_**She had finally given me her hand, but **__**it was her heart that I had wanted. **_

He had gone in the morning, to the Amber mansion, to send his regards to the tragedy that had struck the family. As expected, the funeral had attracted plenty from the gentry, who all appeared in black and were mourning pretentiously for the one who had went off.

Except that it was not really an important figure.

It was obvious that these people who gathered on such a day were either determined to lick the Amber boots or just to join in the commotion. A controversial event was what they had called it and shook their head upon. They found it a waste too, for such an unimportant man like Charles should not be given such luxurious funeral. He was just a butler after all, a man who had toiled his life for the family and had now died of old age_- or so it was said._

_Then why even appear,_ mumbled Tyki bemusedly, finding human race a peculiar lot. He observed the pretentious group talking and consoling the Amber family- the Earl and his Countess daughter. _Yet where was Kaeda?_ Tyki wondered silently, a frown hanging upon his handsome feature as he bustled through the crowd. He had not seen the latter since that day when she ran off without a word. It was not his place to question, and he knew too, that the young lady would not utter a word about it if she chose not to say it. However, he had come in respect to her too.

Then he spotted her, a thin figure clothed in black and grief as she attended to those who came. She set a contrast against the lively garden, he noted. Her smile was worn thin and weak, looking strong yet he knew that it was going to break any sooner. He knew her too well, knew how much she would paint everything, but she would persevere on- something he both loathed and loved about her.

_That was what made it such a challenge_, he thought silently, intending to cross the crowd to the young lady. He had caught her eyes- those hollow amber ones, but the latter had turned away immediately, as if he had been another knife brought near to her wounds. Did he burn her as much as she did upon him? Impossible, he laughed to himself, casting the ridiculous thought aside.

"Tyki, my son," boomed a voice behind him. "Thanks for coming here today."

Lord Mikk turned around and mustered a smile. It was her father; he noted and nodded his head. "I'm sorry about it, Earl Amber."

"Father, you mean," laughed the old man to what was appropriate in a funeral. "It's in a matter of time soon so you should start getting used to that term."

Tyki chuckled a little in response. This man was obviously unaffected, he realized, as his eyes followed the thin shadow that had began to retreat and move away from one and other groups of arrivals.

"It's quite overboard, really, to have such a lavish funeral for Charles," complained the old Earl as he took a puff from his fat tobacco stick. "However you know how good-hearted our Kaeda is, she will have no word from me. Only the best for Charles, _she had said_…"

The young aristocrat nodded his head halfheartedly and smiled a little, allowing the Earl to ramble on. It was not his concern how the latter had tried to prevent having such a grand event to send off their head butler- or just a butler, as the old Earl had said. He was not even interested about all this attraction and gossips this would bring the gentry to, cursed Tyki silently but nonetheless still maintaining a polite smile. As he watched, the young Amber lady had already begun to make her way back to the mansion. It disgusted even him, how pretentious the old man was about his daughter.

Just then, a firm pat on his arm sent the young man back to the present. The Earl chuckled. "I see that you're more interested in my daughter. Go on, comfort my sweet pie. She's all yours now."

Tyki Mikk smiled in response and said no more. Apologizing as he made his way through, he went into the mansion and asked for directions to where the young mistress had head to. The servants seemed a little awestruck by his appearance before guiding him politely to the young Amber's room. As the young man walked, the noise made from the crowd seemed to quiet down. A relief, Tyki thought, as he smiled and anticipated for Kaeda's reaction when she saw him.

Yet, it was when he was about to knock on the large door when he heard the slightest muffle of her crying. It sounded painful, raw even, as the young lady let out her inner most turmoil and feelings. She was gasping, heaving from pain. His heart, strangely, held a peculiar feeling to it when he heard it. It was nothing he had heard before, not even in their days spent together under those unpolluted night stars. Unconsciously worried, Tyki opened the door to a crack quietly and stood flabbergasted when he saw her.

Though the latter's back was facing him, it was heaving up and down from grief, violently and heartwrenching. The sun casted pale rays on her silhouette, making it seem as if the whole picture before his eyes would fade any moment from then.

He had not known at the time, but her hands were tightly wrapped around a wooden figurine, her tears making large plump stains on the mahogany carving. On the floor was a letter placed neglected by her feet, crumpled with anger and exasperation. It was yet another mission, and in it was a list for her to do away with. She had already set her heart and knew the best way to execute her plan. Yet why was it now that she would be so upset over it? _The sight of the bird, the death of her father figure, she had brought this all on herself, damn it. _

Tyki stood silently as he took in the sight of her defeated composure, the weakest by far. She had not even break down when she was badly injured, nor had she even shed a tear when he had caused her pain. So why was she this way now- _was this what he had been missing as a human_? Why was he even here in the first place? His legs were aching to walk to her, take her in his arms and absorb all her grief. Anything_, anything really,_ to stop both their hurting.

Yet he knew better than to do that. Punching himself mentally, he was about to leave when he heard something. It was hardly audible, so soft that he would have assumed he was imagining things. His feet stopped instinctively.

"Wait," said the voice again, tired and exhausted, yet enough to pull him back. "_Please_."

Tyki Mikk waited in silence. It was Kaeda, he knew, who had caught him sneaking up on her. The young man willed himself again to accept any thrashing from the young lady and even began to think up of some joke or cold lines to shrug it off. However, all thoughts halted when he felt a small pressure on his back, pressing down his suit to his body on the back of his waist- it was her hands, small and curled into a fist by each other. _Did she too, had the power of curling one's cold fist around another's heart?_

"Please," mumbled the voice softly as the pressure on his back increased when she pressed her fist on. "Just lend me your back- _just your back will do_," pleaded the young lady as she rested her head on him too.

Tyki startled; unable to move. His heart thumped loudly against his chest, so much so that he feared Kaeda was able to hear it. Thoughts ran through his mind about what caused her to change so drastically, but he could reach to no conclusion. What came up were only images of a young lady called Aki resting against his back for comfort and support. Then the soft voice, he longed so much to hold on to, to seal his kiss with, spoke again, this time in a sterner tone. It was as if that was all that mattered.

"_I accept it, Lord Tyki Mikk__… I accept your proposal."_

Have you ever wondered how it would feel like when someone is washed away by the other's tears?

* * *


	18. This Would Only Hurt Us Both

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

_**-This would only hurt us Both-**_

_A/N:_ Remember what I said about this being a tragedy? It's going to get worse and I'm starting to regret. D:

* * *

_I had been feeling so hollow inside that I feared floating away__, _

_Like a balloon that rose so high up one couldn't even see the smallest dot of anything._

_I knew what happened to those lost balloons-_

_They were the loves that slipped out of our hands, _

_The blank dots that rose in every night;_

_The ones that shine on our darkest hours._

The young man watched and allowed a smile to slide though his lips as he discreetly observed the group of kids. It was Rhode's birthday and naturally, Sheryl Camelot would make the best out of everything so as to please his daughter. The party was invited not only the young girl's friends but part of the gentry- a win-win solution for the minister.

Tyki Mikk swirled his flask a little before taking a sip from his red wine, eyes never leaving his target. He had been observing her since her name was announced by the butler when she entered, yet he did not approach the young lady but allowed his brother to do so. As expected, Rhode too was elated to see her- she seemed to have forgiven her for yelling at her uncle just a week ago. _Traitor,_ he joked. Now, the young girl was busy surrounding herself with her friends in school and making sure that their female visitor was involved too. Balloons floated around as the children kicked and beat them around.

Kaeda Amber was among the kids, clearly enjoying the moment as she played along with them. Her genuine smiles flashed charitably here, warming his heart and everyone around her even for that fleeting moment. It was the same, he realized, even after so many things had happened- this young lady was good with children. Perhaps, that was one of the reasons his human had fallen for her.

How pathetic, he chuckled softly to himself, taking yet another sip of his wine and his gaze shifted away for a while.

The aristocrat was about to savor the lingering taste that slid down his throat smoothly, when he suddenly noticed the young lady had stood up all of a sudden. Kaeda fussed a little longer with the kids, before excusing herself away from the children, moving towards the balcony.

It was his time to strike, he noted as a smirk crept up his handsome features and he followed the lady.

Yet that was when he saw her falling down onto the floor, barely reaching into the night sky.

* * *

Kaeda shifted in the bed, frowning as she attempted to wake up. Her head was killing her, as if something inside had a bolt unscrewed, resulting in everything throbbing and going chaotic. The bed was warmth and soft, she realized, making her pain less aching _but still…_

"_Kaeda_," said a gentle voice as a warm hand stroked back her hair on her forehead. It felt all so familiar. "_It's okay. Go back to sleep_."

The young lady nodded her head slightly as she snuggled deeper into the bed, as if that would make the pain sink away. She felt herself tucked under a blanket, the end of the cloth neatly placed under her arms, his hand caressing her forehead like a rhythmic lullaby.

She did not know what or who it was, but it was sufficient enough to make her trust the person as if she knew him for so long.

_The first thing __she had noticed was the choking smell of smoke that threatened to stain her lungs black forever. Towers of fire reach up as far as she could see; the whole mansion consumed by flames, licking and licking as it savored the entire building. She had to get in. God, she just had to. She was the one who started it. Half of her family, the only people left in this world worth living for, was trapped inside. They were yelling, she knew, yelling as the pain was so tremendous you would wish for an instant death. She knew, because she had experienced it before. So, please, those hands that grabbed her in their attempt to stop her please let go. She charged into the heat, casting away the pain that races up and embraced itself around her. Her vision blurred even though she was unsure if it came from her emotions or the smoke. Then she saw a dark outline of a hand- the symbol of life. She held onto it tight, yanking the person out as she did so. Yes, her mother and brother would now be free, breathing in fresh air, their lungs now clean and pink. Yet why was it that when she stared down at the face, it only reflected hers? Louder, louder, her scream could only pierce the sky so high, but she could never, never save them-_

"_Kaeda_, Kaeda wake up," said the soft voice again, this time urgently. She felt a rhythm patting on her arm. "It's _only _a nightmare, _it's okay_…"

The young lady bolted up straight from the bed, looking fazed by what had happened. Alarmed, she stared straight at the man who woke her up and almost screamed when she recognized who it was.

"Quiet," hushed the man as he pressed the tips of his fingers to her lips. "I did not do anything to you."

Kaeda continued to stare at the man, perspiration that had gushed out of her now began to slow down to a flicker.

Noticing that she had toned down, the young man removed his hand. The debonair knitted his brows and massaged his temple. "You had fainted all of a sudden," he explained, smiling as he watched Kaeda's features relaxing-_ that was what he had liked to see_. The young man then decided to move his face closer to hers, and said in a deliberate accusing manner. "And that's _my _bed you are lying in."

"What?" exclaimed the lady before she tried to scramble out of the mess of cloth. Her eyes were wide with shock, her cheeks slightly flushed with embarrassment. "Lord Mikk, I believe I should make my way back now. I'm sorry _about_…"

"Relax," laughed Tyki, his hands over her thin shoulders as he pinned her back on to the bed like a butterfly. He then stood up and made his way towards the bedroom's balcony, climbed over it and sat on the baluster. "It is because the guestrooms are all taken up so I had no choice but to bring you in here to rest. I assumed your gown was too tight so you fainted but-"

Kaeda felt her eyes widening at each fading words of Lord Tyki Mikk, slowly she shifted her gaze down to her clothes when she realized that it was someone's sleeping gown. "What-"

Chuckling once again, Tyki whistled. "I had always known you were nicely trimmed, but this was even bet-"

"Lord Mikk," exhaled Kaeda as she breathed through each word like a dragon. Do fumes and smoke burn too? "_This is overboard-"_

"I said relax,_ dear_," said Tyki. He began to swing his legs and stared into the night sky without once glancing back at the latter. "It's Tricia's dress, and _as much as I would like to_… I asked someone to change it for you. So please, just relax and get back to sleep or something. It certainly does not please me to have you yelling at me and making accusations of crimes I did not commit, or to have you travelling home at such an hour."

"I can't-" Kaeda paused when she realized that she did not know what to say. The two dangled in silence, none wishing or bothering to break the serene ambience. Sighing, Kaeda sat limply in the middle of the bed, her eyes trailing through the room as she tried to think up of something. She was at the heart of the crow's nest, getting closer. Since she had set her heart to it, she was to complete it no matter what. Clearing her head, Kaeda then began to scrutinize her surroundings, taking in what was present to her in vivid details.

His bedroom was like any other nobles, lavishly decorated and glamorously furnished. Thick carpets cushioned the floor, silk and satin covered his bed and his furniture were made from fine timber and well glossed. Yet there were little wooden items that dotted across this room. Taking a closer look, Kaeda realized that there were finely-carved sculptures. Eyes shifting back to the young man, she paused in surprise when she saw how the moon casted a soft glow on him, making his composure seem much more tender, vulnerable even.

"Lord Mikk, these sculptures," she muttered, surprised once more, this time by her own voice. "Were they made by you?"

Cocking one of his brows up a little as he turned around, Tyki gave a flat look to her. "_Those wooden blocks?_ I bought them," he lied, sneaking a look at Kaeda who showed no particular expression, _or so he thought_, and he turned his back to her once again.

Kaeda nodded her head silently and diverted her attention away from him. Her eyes lingered a little on the sculptures before shifting out to the sky. His room was beautiful in a way, especially when the full night view could be seen from every angle of here. The sky was clear today despite the heavy shower in the morning. A cold breeze blew in from outside, caressing her face.

_Just like he always did_, she remembered, a small smile playing little on her lips, the corners of it curling up in sweetness.

She enjoyed this sort of night skies, clear yet dotted well with tiny twinkle of stars. She used to lean on a tree by her _brother'_s side, spending the night together after their walk. Sometimes, they would stay up together to observe the sunrise, marveling how the rays would light up its whole path in just that brief second. Sometimes, she would urge for them to return so that her _brother_ could get some sleep. He could refuse, every time, and sleep out in the open with her by his side. Kaeda would then observe the man slipping into slumber-land, his body moving rhythmically as it breathed, her fingers gently pressed against his cheeks as she stroked his smooth skin.

However, there was a time when they sat out there in the open field when they found themselves surrounded by what looked like fireworks that rained around them, ripping into the seam of the dark. Shooting stars, they both gushed, allowing themselves to be charmed and seduced by nature's wonder. Suddenly, Kaeda broke out of the spell and intertwined her fingers together. Head down, she prayed silently.

"What did you wish for?" asked her brother, a playful grin on his face. Laughing at his silly expression, Kaeda shook her head and denied ever praying.

_Because shooting stars are not stars at all_- they are just rocks that entered the Earth's atmosphere and catch fire under friction. As we crossed our fingers together and muttered silently, we are only speaking to a worthless trail of debris, rubbish others left behind_. _

_Yet d__id you know that it was you I was wishing for? __**I wished that I would never have to forget you.**_

"_Oi,_ Earth calling," complained an irritated voice that made Kaeda snap out immediately. Startled, she almost fell backwards off the bed if the man had not caught her in time. Pulling her back, he gave an expression that lacked the slightest hint of amusement. He had wanted to ask about her headaches but knew better than to do so. She would not say anything about it anyway, that stubborn girl, and it was driving him crazy. Tyki snapped his fingers in front of her eyes. "Dazing off?"

Kaeda looked upon the man, a bewildered expression etched clearly on her. Stuttering, she tried to recall when the young man had climbed into his bed and settled himself on it, _with her still there_, when he was more than five metres away when she last noticed him. "I- I… When did_ you_ come here…?"

"_Every time you fall_," muttered the Noah as he snuggled closer to her, closing his eyes aand placed his head on her laps. _"And _I've yet appease my anger."

Gasping, Kaeda's mouth opened before closing when no words could came out. The warmth and stable breathing from his head had indicated that he had fallen asleep. Alarmingly, Lord Mikk had managed to find an angle to lie on her thigh snuggly.

_Just like how her brother would always__ fall asleep on her too._


	19. Our Unsettled Life

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

_**-Our Unsettled Life-**_

_Hey Aki, it seemed like a long time already, ain't it?_

_Time seems to pass by so slowly without you here, or are you?_

_Are you always __by my side even as I drift along?_

_I find myself searching the crowds for your face._

_Impossible, I am aware__ but unable to help myself._

_I have failed to keep the promise I made to you that night;_

_And forced myself to keep the one you had asked me to make._

_

* * *

  
_

The trees lighted up in various shades of flames, ranging from fiery red to burning yellow. The trees were like performers, selected ones since coniferous ones were unable to do so, spending a quarter of the year on costume changes. They whispered to each other, dry ones in the autumn louder than the others. They rustled, they talked, they swore. They made as much noise as school children would, though much more pleasing to the ears.

When their leaves fall, they would quiet down as if the teacher had entered the room, covering the ground in gold as they absorbed the day's lesson in enthusiasm. However, when the wind whirled around again, they would crackle up against you, sneaking on you when you least expected it.

Yet like all performance, they would end sooner or later, leaving their amber trees to smolder a trail behind. Appreciate it or choke on it; that was your choice.

And such was her dance as she donned on her clothes to perform along with the swirling leaves.

Her sleeves fluttered with the leaves while her hair teased the howling wind. Like a bowing flower that slowly rises to the sun, her body would arch and turn around to the surrounding flames. She took little steps forward and backwards, performing it artfully without any seeming mistakes. She seemed to be used to this dance, this ritual even, as her knees bent down at times like winter or her feet pounced up like spring. The flames around her applauded exuberantly, appreciating the dance steps and accompanying her with joy.

They were called maples, and so was she.

Would she realize that he was here by her side, sitting by her mare which it played with his, all this while? Her steps then started to slow down, bit by bit as the wind began to step down too, before finally ending the dance with a simple yet earnest bow. Pleased, he was about to call for her when he noticed that she had stood up and was walking straight to him.

"Lord Mikk, I'm surprise that you would find me here," she said flatly when she crossed the distance to him. Her eyes were cold as she caressed her horse, taking hold of the reins.

Tyki smiled and closed his eyes momentarily. "Please take a seat next to me, Kaeda dear. I believe you have nothing on later."

Kaeda clenched her fists by her side before taking soothing down her dress to sit beside the Noah. Indeed, her plans were free after this and she was well aware that her father had told him that she would be here. She knew he had been watching her all this while but had chosen not to make a fuss over it. It was not that she was afraid of him, really. This was good for her plan and it seemed that things were smooth so far for her to infiltrate soon. It was that the more she hung out with this hypocrite, the more she was reminded of her _older brother._

_Worse,__ he had this special ability to make her lose her guard and walk right into his arms._

"You look good in a kimono," praised Tyki as he scanned the girl next to him now that she was at a closer range. "And that dance was good too."

"_Ritual,"_ corrected Kaeda before realizing that she should not have revealed that. She was surprised that the latter even knew what she was wearing. He was not as stupid as he looked then, she muttered to herself.

"What did you just say? Sorry, I didn't catch you." Tyki widened his eyes and furrowed his brows when the latter only laughed to herself and shook her head. Amused, the man laughed out loud too, and in that moment, she realized that if he was intimidating when he was scornful, he was threatening when he let down his guard- which was the one she could not handle.

"Whatever it is," continued Tyki as a smile lingered at the corner of his lips. "You mentioned that it was a ritual. What is it about?"

Startled at catching herself laughing at him, Kaeda paused for a while. "My mom's..." she murmured to herself before looking away. "It is her death anniversary today."

"I'm sorry," said the young lord, surprised. He had not expected her to say the truth, really. "I should not have asked about it."

The young lady shook her head and allowed a little silence to sink in before continuing. "I used to come here with my sister, Countess Amber, whom I believe you have met already, but she was unable to make it today. We do this annually, something that our mom enjoyed and taught us. Her ash is scattered at here. She loved this place; it was where she first dated with my father. It is improper, for the Japanese custom, for us to sort of celebrate a death anniversary. However, Mom always said something about liking the dance and that it didn't matter anymore because Dad's a foreigner and such…"

"He's not here today," commented Tyki. As he watched her spoke, he noticed how her eyes which held the certain sort of cool gaze warming a little.

Kaeda stiffened. "He never did. Not when I am here anyway. He finds me too painful every time he looks at me. I was the one who caused the fire, the one who made him lose his only wife and heir. Resembled my mother too much too, my aunt once said. I brought this upon the family, so it was no- it was no surprise that he would hate me…" _for killing my younger brother after his so-called revival. Dad almost made him an Akuma, for god's sake. If that darn metallic structure that took on my brother's lovely voice had continued the demon's will, I would have lost all of them forever._

"_Ak-_ Kaeda…" said Tyki gently, catching himself before he called her by the inappropriate name, and tried to get her to look at him. He felt grossly helpless, at such a time, to hear her voice so raw and wounded. _Was he mistaken? _With a strong hand, he held her jaw and tried to turn her face towards him. As he peered into those pair of brown eyes, it took much of his will not to succumb to his urge to kiss her. Tyki let go of his hand soon after, before whistling to fill up the void between.

The two sat in silence as they observed the trees and their falling leaves. Then he had an idea.

Grabbing her right hand with his left one, he ignored her overwhelming shock and crossed his fingers through those fine ones. It fitted just like before, he smirked, and held the intertwined hands up. "Countess Amber," he began, referring to her mother. "Today as I sit here with your daughter, I would boldly like to ask you for your permission to pass her hands to me…"

"_Lord Mikk-"_

"If you agree, then please send us a sign or something," continued Tyki, ignoring the young lady.

The two waited in silence once again, waiting as the whole place surrounding them softened down. The leaves had stopped their chattering and the trees stopped their conversation. Having enough, Kaeda was about to stood up and was trying to break off Tyki's hand, when a strong gush of wind came. It howled beside their ears, caressing their cheeks when it did so, as if trying to tell them something.

"Your mother has agreed," whispered Tyki cheekily as he pulled her closer by her hand so that he could speak to her ear. "See?"

Kaeda stared at the young man whose fingers were tightly around hers, caught disbelief at what he had just done. It could have been his Noah's ability to conjure up this wind, but she knew better than that. That unforgettable fragrance that accompanied the wind was unmistakable- it was the scent of sweet autumn her mother would always wear.

"That's just a coincidence. Let's- let's go already," said the Amber lady, her voice hoarse. Whether it was deliberately or not, she was unaware of that herself. Her heart had quickened at an unexplainable rate. Standing up and refusing a helping hand from the man by her side, she took the reins of her horse and climbed over it. As she kicked off, she knew well that he was following her, crushing the maple leaves under them as the horses strode along.

* * *

"What is it, dear," teased Tyki Mikk as he tugged a little at the reins to make his horse slow down. Reluctantly, the horse exhaled out grumpily and strode to a slow pace.

Kaeda Amber glared back at the latter dangerously while her hand was busy stroking her mare to calm it. Placing a finger on her lips, she asked for silence just a few seconds ago and was annoyed when the young man had ignored her. Her gaze burnt at Tyki for a while before diverting it back to a particular tree.

Tyki whistled and halted his horse when he finally reached her. They had been walking for a distance and she was most probably tired from it. _Finding an excuse to rest without appearing weak eh,_ he thought. Smirking, he allowed his eyes to wander on Kaeda before finally deciding to follow Kaeda's gaze towards the tree. _A maple,_ he noted, before his pupils enlarged in surprise when he realized what had caught the lady's attention. Bemused, he looked back at Kaeda and was pleased when he noticed how alert and caught up she was.

"I see that a mere fire-crest has caught your attention," said Tyki as he put on an upset tone. "Is that bird more attractive than me?"

Kaeda's eyes ignited with wonder. "That's what it's called, fire-crest?" It resembled the wooden sculpture so much, she thought to herself, marveling at the brown bird as it chirped, completely ignoring the presence of human around. _Did he too know what it was called too when _he_ carved it?_

Tyki Mikk chuckled, and smirked once again. "Yes," he said slowly, observing the girl as he did so. "And there's a story behind it. Would you'd like to hear it?"

Kaeda furrowed her brows- this man was obviously mocking her. "Yes…"

"Say 'please'?"

"P-please…" Kaeda forced out her words, grinding each letter with suppressed annoyance. "I would very much like to hear the story." It was the truth anyway.

Tyki laughed and tilted his head down at an amused angle, satisfied by her reply. Climbing down his horse, he placed a hand on the tree before walking to Kaeda and helped her get down too. As the two stood among the fallen leaves, he looked at the bird which had suddenly gone all silent from its chirping and began his story. "There was once a miner who adored her wife a lot. He would always look forward to going home so as to meet her at home. The two spent their time lovingly together even though they had no children. Then one day, the miner found a beautiful blue flower and wanted to bring it home for his wife. The flower, as he found out later on, was an aster."

The young man stopped for awhile, hoping to notice some reaction from the latter about the flower. However, Kaeda would only stare at the bird quietly as she listened to him. Tyki, though disappointed, was pleased to have her attention finally.

"Elated, the miner planned how he could enter the house expecting his wife to come into his arms as usual so that he could stick the flower into her hair. He had expected his wife to beam with happiness and thank him. However, that was not what had happened. When the miner finally got home, he was greeted by a motionless body on the floor when the doors opened. The flower fall innocently onto the dirt floor as the man scrambled to get to his wife, sobbing as he held onto the cold body. With a shattered heart, the miner went on to bury her," he said softly, wishing that half of what he said would not happen.

Kaeda let out a soft gasp, as her eyes widened in response.

Tyki continued. "From that day onwards, the poor man found himself aimless as he drifted through the days. He would often dream of seeing his wife's beautiful features among crowds and stars, but those images would only disappear when he got closer. One day as he was attending to his wife's grave, he spotted a small tree growing out of it. Thinking it was connected somehow to his wife; the miner devoted his life to take care of it and realized he was no longer as lost as he used to be.

However as he grew old, the man began to worry how the tree would continue to survive without him. Days passed by and one day the man went missing. His friends; concerned that he had not reported for work for a long period of time, decided to drop by the latter's house, but they could not find him. Just then, they heard a soft chirp outside the house. Following the sound, they wandered out of the house and to the grave of the miner's wife. By now, all they could see was only her tombstone to mark her grave. On top of it was a blooming golden maple tree."

"_It's_…" muttered Kaeda, her gaze locked on the floor.

"The chirping, when those follow friends looked up, was made by a small fire-crest that refused to leave from the tree. Hence, the fire-crest is always known for sticking with the maple no matter what-"

"_And would eventually die with it_," whispered Kaeda, her voice hoarse and sore now.

Tyki turned his head in surprise and noticed that the latter looked away just as immediately. She was looking at him as she said it, he finally realized. Recognizing that was the way she prevented people from seeing her tears, Tyki swallowed something painful in his throat and felt his chest tightening. Gently, he lifted her chin so that he could face her, and placed his lips on the falling tears at the edge of her mouth despite the soft protest that escaped from her soft lips. _I would take away the pain and stay with you, _he thought and was about to linger his kiss towards her mouth when he felt himself being pushed away and crashing into the padded ground of fallen leaves.

"I'm sorry," muttered Kaeda, staring back at the shocked Noah. She was about to bend down to help the latter up when something tightened in her chest and she ran for her horse, pulled on her reins and galloped away.

**Stop reminding me of **_**him**__._


	20. Let Peace Be For Once

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

_**-**__**Let Peace Be For Once-**_

_Noah had a wife, y__ou know, and he did indeed love her deeply. _

_Hence, the possibility of us, descendants of Noah, falling in love can be just as high as any human beings. _

_It's just that we never realized __it, or never wanted to; _

_Perhaps for the fear of getting hurt ourselves.

* * *

_

"My lady," whispered the lady maid as she cracked her mistress's door a little. "You called me?"

Kaeda Amber shifted uncomfortably in her four-poster bed, prying her face reluctantly from the silken blanket to note the latter's arrival. Faking on a hoarse and weak voice, she moaned a little and coughed. "Yes, I would like you to help write to Lord Mikk that I would be unable to receive him this afternoon."

Frowning with concern, the lady maid wanted to walk towards her mistress but the young lady only shook her head and gestured her to stay back. Shaking her head, the lines on the maid's features deepened despite her relatively young age. "This is no good, my lady. His lordship is supposed to meet you today so as to settle on your bridal gowns. Everything else is already settled. Are you really…"

Kaeda glared at her maid, before sighing. She said, "I'm really tired today. Please do write the letter and do not disturb me till dinnertime."

"Yes, your ladyship," muttered the servant as she shook her head and left the room. The young lady had been confiding in her own room ever since her mother's death anniversary, thought the maid worriedly, as she headed off to get some tea for her mistress. It was as if she had returned to her old self before her long vacation away, as if the new ghost that had possessed her body left her out the blue, leaving an empty shell trembling against the strong tidal waves. Yet there was nothing to worry about, the maid assured herself, as the young Lord Tyki Mikk seemed very eligible and compatible for her young lady. The young man had been ever so caring and thoughtful since the proposal. Smiling to herself, the maid nodded along with her thoughts, seeming pleased with herself.

"Woah, do be careful," said a low male voice as the lady maid found herself caught in the young man's arms, his hands on her elbows to stabilize her. Removing his hand almost immediately, the man broke into a friendly smile. "Do watch you are heading to next time, Madam."

Trembling with embarrassment, the lady maid looked up in sheer surprise when she realized that it had been her mistress's very own lordship. Yes indeed, the young lady was a lucky woman, she reassured herself once again.

"Would you'd mind informing your mistress of my arrival? The new butler does not seemed to be doing a good job, I feel," commented the young man as he shrugged his shoulder and grinned politely at the maid, exploiting his charms.

"I- I…" stuttered the latter as she broke away from the man's gaze. "Her ladyship is- is unwell at the moment. You have- have arrived too early, but no matter what, she is- is unable to receive you- you today and would like your lordship to-"

"She's unwell?" questioned the young lord as he peered over the maid's head and recognized the way to her room. Frowning, he tried to think up of the different types of illness she would have- was it her headaches again? The man shrugged his shoulders. "Then I shall send my concerns to her."

"This is absurd, your lord ship. Our lady needs to…" The lady maid's words began to die off when the young man simply walked passed her and head towards the young lady's room. She was about to relax, it would be good for the young man to cheer her up, when something struck her hard- someone as strong headed as her lady would be furious to be caught in her sleeping gown... the maid then began to chase after the man. _"Lord Mikk, please…"_

Tyki ignored the lady maid's endless chatter and nagging. It seemed to be getting louder despite each further step away from her and closer to her lady. Sighing in annoyance, he stopped upon a grand door and turned the knob nonchalantly. "_Dear, I'm here to visit you…"_

Yet the man's teasing only fluttered across the bedroom and danced hollowly back. Surprised, Tyki stared in flabbergast to find the room empty even though the bed was still in a mess. He then shook his head in confusion. "Where is your lady?" asked the young man when he could feel the lady maid closing up on him by the door.

However, the latter only stared at the empty room in shock, though it quickly faded overtime. Sighing helplessly, she said, "It's just as usual, Lord Mikk, for our lady to simply disappear. I should have known that she would play such a trick…"

"Where did she go?" asked Tyki impatiently, as he glanced around the room. Spotting some things in particular, he stooped down to reach for them.

"I'm not too sure. Since her rifle is not here either, I suppose she would have gone hunting…"

"I suppose too," mumbled Tyki with a small grin playing on his lips, his hand turning the small wood piece round and round in his hand. _She kept this still,_ he thought amusedly to himself, before looking at the other item he had found under her bed, all crushed and crumbled into a ball. As he smoothed the surface of the coarse paper, he was stunned when he saw that it was the country's map and had dozen little red circles scattered around this region.

Then a smile lit up his face again. "I'll take my leave then, Miss."

"_Sir…"_ said the lady maid nervously. She too had seen the map and bird carving in his hand. Was it given by him?

"I'll try to find Kaeda back too," assured Tyki good-heartedly as he walked out of the room, a smirk creeping over his lips, spreading it wickedness across.

* * *

The wind blew her hair away from her face as she rode on her horse sturdily, unhappy that no matter how strong it was; it would still be unable to blow her troubles away. _Duty over desire,_ she reminded herself, yet those words only seem to flirt playfully in front of her eyes and skittle away. The horse continued to trot on, continuing its bumpy road ahead.

**Duty and desire; how was only ever supposed to choose between them two when both are just as loathing?** Her heart ached, as if someone had given her more than just a punch and kick on her chest when her thoughts wandered to her past. She recalled her first reaction when she was struck by the harsh recoil of a pistol and rifle; taught by General Cross despite the fact that he was not her master. And she would never forget her everlasting horror when her rank was bestowed upon her.

_Stop it;_ she chided herself harshly, wishing for the wind to slash her hard across her face as she rode against it. _Stop those memories, please_.

He used to be there, used to be with her in her darkest moments and sleepless nights. He would be right beside her, not speaking yet comforting her in his own unique way. Her heart ached as she recalled how his cigarette would produce that particular smell, how his spectacles reflected light in a certain angle, and how his lips would curl in amusement at every word she said despite her protests. His surprises never failed to cheer her up, and it was through him and the rest that she really tasted happiness. Perhaps the reason why she did not want to find them again for fear that she would never muster up the courage again to return back to her duty. Happiness could be seductive and murderous.

_Stop it, please, stop those darn memories;_ yelled the young lady in her head, furious tears scorching down her face as it streaked cruelly down. Her grip on the reins finally relaxed, and she stopped along with her horse, feeling exhausted and defeated. Trembling as she climbed down the horse, she tried to steady herself despite the chaotic emotions.

It was meant to be simple: just let go of them and go on with her duty. _Yet it could be so difficult,_ she cried silently, balancing herself next to a nearby tree. Her body felt weak, as if it was near fire and melting.

"_Kaeda."_

The young lady stiffened abruptly, recognizing the voice. It sounded… _no, it could not be him._ Clutching her fist, she tried to embrace her remaining strength to counter whatever she could. Akumas, Noahs, brokers- she had her fair share of killing them. Anymore, it would just be an insignificant addition to her list.

Then she stopped, stunned when she saw him. "Lord Mikk."

"Kaeda," he said once again, this time not as gentle as the previous. "_Why…_ are you here?"

The latter glared up at the man, watching as his long curly hair swayed along with the wind. He – this Noah- resembled him so much that it was going to endanger her life. _Why was she allowing this to even happen?_ Allowing her nails to bite into the flesh of her palms, she demanded angrily. "You followed me here?"

As she waited for his reply, the anger in her began to swell. Yet it was not the hunting instinct sort of frustration- it ached so much that she could just tear down the tree next to her. With increasing annoyance, she watched as the man slowly took a folded piece of paper from his jacket, smiling as he unfolded it.

"I found this," he said simply, observing her. "And thought that if I were to just follow these red markings, especially the one near your house, I would be able to find you. So, why are you here?"

"That is none of your business," snapped Kaeda, her eyes flaring with anger. "You have no right to follow-"

"I have every right to, being your fiancé. You have already given me your hand, didn't you?" interrupted Tyki, enjoying the look on the young lady's face. "So, why are you here?"

"I said it's none of your business," Kaeda growled, looking away. The map was a thing of the past, something she had casted away for months. "You should have better things than to keep-"

"We were supposed to be looking at your bridal gowns."

"I have no mood for that," Kaeda defended herself.

Tyki snapped. "Then why are you here?"

Kaeda looked up in surprise, wondering why the latter was so determined to find out why she was heading off to nowhere that she even knew. She did not even plan anything, for god's sake. Looking up, the young lady was about to argue back when the scene set upon her eyes stole her breath and words.

"Something," stated Tyki angrily, as he stared at the lady caught by the scenery. "Must have brought you here, isn't it?"

Kaeda let the Noah's words linger by her ears, her attention too engrossed by her sight to even say anything in defend. She had not planned this, she told herself; she had not deliberately made herself travel such a long distance to arrive at this place.

_So why was it that I'm back here again?_

The young lady felt herself shriveling upon the grand sight, seemingly insignificant and weak in comparison. The maples, now dressed in brown once again, stood side by side just like how it used to be. Her fingers ached as the coarseness of the bark she was touching forced her to divert her gaze there, and Kaeda could feel her chest tightening_. It was the same tree,_ the one which shed the last autumn leaf which she gave to her _brother _for the last time she could see him.

_The last time she had ever seen him…_

"Kaeda," muttered Tyki once again as he rushed up to catch the latter, afraid she would faint once again. With such a close distance, he could smell the familiar sweet scent of honey in her hair.

She was too close.

He looked down upon her sad features, and brought up his fingers to caress her cheeks, moving it his thumb over her lips softly. It sent shivers coursing through her spine, and he could feel her even more vulnerable under his touch. Yet his touch was so soft and minimum, it was scarce even, as if he was afraid he could break her composure now.

"Kaeda," he whispered down upon her forehead, his breath upon her tears stricken cheeks. "If there is something you can't let go, we can always postpone the wedding."

The wind whirled around them for that instance, dancing passed them while the two stood in silence. Throughout then, Kaeda had her eyes closed, bracing her remaining life. Then, she looked back up at Tyki, her eyes catching his golden ones. Smiling an expression that threatened to freeze through and break his heart, Kaeda narrowed her eyes with pretended happiness.

"It's okay, Lord Mikk," she laughed hoarsely as her hand pressed itself against the Noah's gray skin. "What more can I ask for other than the honor and privilege for marrying into thy family?" she said flatly, holding his eyes with cold speculation, taunting him.

Tyki flexed his jaw muscle in frustration before breaking her strong gaze. His chest was aching so badly that he longed to grab the lady by the throat and end her life to end his pain.

Yet he could not.

Stepping back, he tried to get use having his arms buoyed by his side with that fact that there was no longer anything between them.

Kaeda laughed. Such that the laughter was so sarcastic, such that it could have made them wish that they could turn back time and take an alternative route. With acid lingering on her every word, the young lady looked upon the man nonchalantly. "I shall take my leave then, my lord," she said casually, walking to her horse before climbing onto it. Without turning back to even look at the Noah, she tugged at the reins, ready to go.

The wind rustled around them, as the horse blew its nose and shook its body. The hollow sound between them grew as she rode further, further and further away. Heart thumping profusely from a combination of confused emotions, the young man knew well that he was going to regret it if he were to give this game up at this time. The pride of a man thus stepped upon, the oath of a Noah not to be hurt thus trampled on, and the determination of a lover crumpled and abandoned. Breathing deeply in his attempt to stabilize himself, Tyki Mikk flared open his golden eyes before that diminishing flame went off.

"Stop," he demanded at the young lady, his voice travelling loud and clear across the distance. "Stop right there now, Lady Kaeda Amber."

_I cannot afford to lose anymore of this crap.

* * *

  
_


	21. In Between Your Arms

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

_**-In Between Your Arms-**_

_I_ _have never understood what it is called losing someone. _

_We all know where exactly our loved ones went to but are too afraid to admit it _

_And necessarily want them to be there. _

_Do you know how it feels to be torn between the beauty of our memories and the pain of remembering it, Aki?_

"Stop right there, Lady Kaeda Amber," yelled the young man that she so detested upon. Her brain told her not to stop but to move on so as to stop this nonsense once and for all, yet her heart could only tremble when she heard the tone in his voice. There was something in it that made her want to stay. Yet how was she supposed to stop for the person she was destined to kill?

Her memories soon wandered away with her back facing the Noah, ignoring the danger it posed, her heart thumping with frustration as she recalled the earlier incident that happened in the morning before she decided to take a walk and ended up subconsciously here.

* * *

"_Come in,"_ answered the voice held behind the door when Kaeda Amber knocked against the hard timber surface. She had on a blank expression as she stepped into the room, taking in the stuffy wood smell that always lingered in this room and its occupant. "Sit down, Kaeda."

The young lady heed the voice as she sat down on a nearby chair, crossing her legs politely as she cast her eyes down in anticipation of what would happen next. The sound of a cigarette lighter clicked from a distance away, and soon she could smell tobacco smoke as it drifted towards her. The two remained silent for that moment, until the lady grew impatient and decided to speak first.

"What did you call me up here for, Father," asked Kaeda as she allowed her eyes to wander towards the old man before fleeting away.

Inhaling his tobacco, the old man then sighed out the smoke, taking his time with his younger daughter. _Such impatience like her mother_, he thought though it hurt him deeply to do so. He tapped at the falling ashes of his fat brown stick, casting his eyes towards a nearby photo of his family.

"I've decided to speak to you about your marriage," he replied, attempting to sound a little more warming though he knew that his daughter would most probably find it fake.

Kaeda looked up in surprise at her father, stunned by his tone, before diverting her gaze outside towards the bright sky that she so yearned to be in. "We've already settled it, didn't we?"

"Yes," admitted Earl Amber, his eyes still transfixed on the monochrome photo on his table. With his finger, he caressed the smooth surface of the glass, feeling its cold texture as they came into contact. "Indeed we have and I would say that Lord Tyki Mikk is a very suitable man for you, Kaeda."

The young lady shuddered at the sound of her own name in the same sentence as the Noah but said nothing in reply. He was going to go on and on about how Lord Mikk would benefit their family and vice versa. Preparing to excuse herself out of the room, she was surprise though when she saw that her father, the exact same image from her childhood, had the soft and vulnerable look he used to have when he was deep in thoughts.

"However, I want you to be happy in this marriage, my daughter," continued the man. "I have not done my part well as a father; have not done well taking care of you and your sister since your mother's death. I should not have shifted my responsibilities and act as if it was your entire fault. It wasn't. I should have known it better and taken better care of you."

Kaeda glanced up at the old man, her eyes stunned on the old man shaking with emotions. Her chest felt tight and her throat dry. The vivid image of blood and gore that night still scarred her deeply- she was still unable to forgive this man for being so foolish as to believe what most humans would choose to too.

_Do you believe in a second life? I can bring both of them back for you._

Earl Amber cleared his throat momentarily, his eyes misted. "That is why I hope that your husband, Lord Tyki Mikk, would be the one who can take good care of you, even though you will always be welcomed home. But for this to happen," the old man paused for awhile before rising his gaze to meet his daughter's black ones- those pair that so resembled her mother, "You must love the man for who he is and not what he is."

"_Father,"_ stuttered Kaeda as she trembled under the cool blue eyes of the latter. She struggled to regain composure.

"You must be happy in this marriage for it to work," said the old man worriedly.

"_Did you love Mom for who she is?"_

The old man stunned, stared at his daughter's cold words, before sighing deeply. "Indeed, I married her initially out of namesake, but…"

"_Then that solves it,"_ interrupted Kaeda, her eyes struggling to remain calm.

"But I grew to love your mother, Kaeda."

"_And perhaps I will too, Father,"_ muttered the young lady before standing up to curtsied to the old man and making her way out. The door closed with a thud behind her when she made her way back into the room, her body shaking with convulsion. _**I would have too, if I had not fallen for another man.**_

* * *

Kaeda Amber snapped out of her memory. Pushing her horse away, she turned around to face the man who had been waiting for her all along and inhaled deeply. Lord Tyki Mikk was standing there motionless, as if speculating her next move. He was the one who wanted her to stop, so what did he want now? She could see, despite the distance that he was fuming with anger, his mood as gray as the dark clouds that had already began to hover above them. Soon, it would rain and the brown leaves would battle against the shower before falling down onto the wet soil defeated.

"What do you want now, Lord Mikk," asked Kaeda flatly. Her words tangled in midair as the latter began to cross the distance towards her. His lips were in a straight line, pursed in anger; as if that was all he could do to prevent an outburst.

"You know what I want, Lady Amber," answered the man, his golden eyes boring into hers.

"I have already given you my hand, Lord Mikk. Wasn't that what it was supposed to be?"

Tyki glared in annoyance at the lady, his jaws clenched. "You know jolly well that that was not what I mean."

"Then please do explain," taunted Kaeda.

Tyki curled his hands into a fist by his side, knowing well that the young lady was playing along with him, testing and teasing his boundary. As he spoke, acid lingered on every word of his, as if to make the lady pay back for what she had done to him. "What do I have to do to make you accept me?"

"I already have," insisted Kaeda, her eyes burning back. Tyki took in the look of her eyes. The thing about flame was that it was insidious- it sneaked, it licked, and it looked over its shoulder and laughed. And fuck, it could be so beautiful; like a sunrise burning everything in its path.

"You know that jolly well, my lady."

He was still walking towards her now, and as Kaeda embraced herself for any attack by the man, she waited in silence and closed her eyes.

"When I asked for you, I wanted the whole of it, Lady Amber."

Disgusted, Kaeda's eyes fleeted opened and she glared at the man in horror. In his eyes, she could see no teasing or sadistic humor the man normally held. "Is that a threat?"

"Maybe," stated Tyki harshly, his feet stopping just a few steps ahead of her. "Or is this a game of possession?"

"Maybe," copied Kaeda, a smile spreading across her lips that were so thin now. It was slicing her, but it no longer mattered. "Well Lord Mikk, let's be honest to each other then. Our marriage is obviously not out of love, something which you and I both know, but we should not let this hinder the plan. After all, it was to benefit both our families' interest, wasn't it?"

Alarmed by such a reply, Tyki could feel the anger in him boiling up right to her head, the surging emotions threatening to break over like a tsunami. Little droplets of raindrops was already falling upon their head, and he could still remember the chill as she stood facing him just like how it was now, freezing in the shower. Then he recalled. _He recalled how it was to be._

"There's another man out there, ain't it?" hovered Tyki as he took a step closer to the young lady. His hand slid into one of his chest pocket and remained there, anticipating.

Kaeda broke their gaze, shocked. She had not expected him to counter just with such a question. "What are you talking about?" she stuttered, shaking to remain her posture.

"An aloof miner with nowhere to call home, wandering with his mud of friends-" carried on Tyki as he savored the pain that darted around in the lady's eyes.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Kaeda lied as she struggled to remain their eye contact to avoid any possible detection of fear.

A hoarse laugh that emitted sarcasm filled the space around them as the debonair Tyki broke in hysterics. Kaeda stared in horror as she witnessed the man indulging in his own madness, noting how monstrous this Noah could be. Yet she was no better.

"Don't know? You don't know what I'm talking about?" repeated Tyki as he tried to contain his strange sense of amusement. He nodded his head and laughed once again to himself, before sliding his hand into his chest pocket once again. "Then what's this, my dear?"

Kaeda's eyes widened slowly with horror as stared upon the object she had so hoped to abandon, her composure trembling as the rain soon start to accumulate to form a heavy shower. The object stained with raindrops grew into a darker color, just like the horror experienced if a peace-bringing dove was to shed its white feathers to reveal a black raven that symbolized death.

"Where- where did you get that?" asked Kaeda, her voice poisoned with fear and dread.

Once again, Tyki laughed as he cocked his eyebrows, mocking even though it hurt him so. "What do you think? It was given by him, wasn't it?"

The rain was falling hard by now, misting her vision, clouding her thoughts. "What did you do to him? _How…_ what did you do to them?" Kaeda yelled, yet she could no longer hear her own voice as she raced back to her horse, climbed over it, tugged at the reins to run.

The rain continued to spear them brutally, hurting the two of them as much as it would have hurt those leaves defeated in the battle of nature. Tyki stared after the young lady as she sped off, walking out of him again. Slowly but steady he followed her. He had already promised never to leave her alone.

He never would.

* * *


	22. Our Promise, Do You Remember?

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

_**-**__**Our Promise, Do you remember?-**_

_A/N:_ Italic words at lower portion of chapter is a flashback.

* * *

_There's a destructive urge in everybody, whether it is the urge to kill, destruct or to love._

_But hey Aki, perhaps it was right to leave after you,_

_As the one whom stay tends to hurt much more._

_And do you know?_

_I never wanted to hurt you anymore._

Her heart thumped painfully against her chest as she raced through the spearing rain, her mind racing for solutions and prayers. Fear was gripping every part of her body, spreading and wrapping its vicious tentacles around her, leaving her gasping and shaking. Her thoughts were racing against her mind, rubbing against the coarse surface of its path, leaving a trail of blood behind. She feared what the monstrous Noah knew already, what the demonic killing machine would do to those innocent human. Questions crowded her brain, hooking its curve on her, refusing to bulge. Would she be able to salvage what was gone already?

Then she saw them.

The sight of them calmed her down when she saw the group of miners laughing and enjoying themselves in the comfort of their temporary house. It was one of those shabby ones again, those that had worn down bricks and large metal sheets to build a simple structure and some outdoor stove. All these months, despite having already left the group, she had sent finders to help her monitor her friends, hoping to keep them safe and provide help in all ways that she could, yet they never seem to want to splurge on the money. She had never thought of looking for them again, for fear that if they would to meet up she would be unable to muster the courage to leave them again.

These were the people she shared joyous moments with:_ Ezzz, Crack, Momo… and Tyki._ The last name struck her hard, making her heart cringed as the image of him came creeping into her mind. She had attempted to cast him aside, but to no avail. Yearning yet reluctant to, she tried to make out the faces of those miners amidst the heavy rain, hoping to see them for the last time now that she knew they were safe and happy. The rain, heavy as it might be, was gently patting over her face, giving her relief over her tears.

_Yet __he was not there,_ she realized. Was he at those special missions again? _Or was he-_

"Aki," muttered a low gentle voice loud enough to be heard in the heavy shower.

Kaeda Amber turned immediately at the recognition of the voice, how it had always sounded when articulated by the very one she had fallen for. Yet as she turned to face the person she wanted to both avoid and meet, the young lady became transfixed with horror.

It was as if at that momentarily second that she saw a fleeting image of Tyki the aloof miner once again, the same undisciplined curl of hair falling over one eye, except it seemed longer right now. He had the same intense frowning way of drawing a cigarette, as if smoking would hold solutions to all problems. Yet this was one problem that could not be solved; his cigarette was doused out by the rain.

"Aki," he said once again, as if afraid that she would not be able to hear him.

She did, however, as it slowly made her came out of her shock. Her vision began to stabilize, the image of Lord Tyki Mikk forming clearly in front of her. Kaeda struggled to find words to make sense, but failed to. **Such deception was unforgivable and unbelievable, but who was she to make a stand when she too was guilty of such an offence?** Shaking, she tried to keep up her composure; however it was such a chore. Her legs told her to run, but to where?

It was now that Aki suddenly reckoned that the clues had always been laid out there for her to speculate, but she had been too unconsciously unwillingly to join the dots in her mind to form the whole image.

"Aki," he said for the third time, his voice sounding nearer this time as he made her way towards her. Startled, Kaeda could only step back and watched in shock as the man caught up with her, pulled her by her wrists towards him and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Struggling, Kaeda tried to shake him off, attempting to pry off those stubborn fingers wrapped around her. _Please._

However, like a child, he would only hug her close to him, pressing his lips to her wet hair. As if finally defeated, the two melted on the ground, rain still pounding over them harshly. Unconsciously, she could feel additional moisture rolling across her cheeks that were so pressed against the comfort of his warmth. Her cool pale skin was against his, her tears stopping when it came into contact with his. Kaeda's fingers were curled around the cool metal of her pistol, yet it too slowly uncoiled like her feelings. She could feel Tyki stuffing something into her fist, and by the distinctive texture and form, knew that her firecrest, the wooden figurine, had come back.

The rain fall on their in heavy sheets, mimicking the sound of a freight train, the sound of their aching hearts.

"I will not change, dear Aki," said Tyki, his voice sounding drained and exhausted. "I ask for no more than your love. I'm certain I would not have any other. Only let me be with you and stay with you for life."

Lowering his face, Tyki then propped up Kaeda's to look at him. Her eyes were close and saturated with tears; he noticed, and felt a tight grip in his chest. Tenderly, Tyki placed his lips near hers, before finally sealing his promise with her. _"Marry me, truly."_

Through the rain, she could still recall how it all used to be. Perhaps all these were nothing but a nasty turn of events, but all things will eventually come around. These were the flashbacks so hard to forget. His coat was draped over her defeated composure, and she could feel his stable breathing contrasting against her fluctuating one. It felt like how it was in her memories, how the warmth he could provide sheltered her through the coldest winter. They were on his horse now, with her mare trailing subtly behind, just like their owners.

The rain had turned to a drizzle now, gently patting against their back as if to assure them that everything would be alright.

Kaeda could feel her heart aching as her thoughts drifted away, wondering at times what the Noah had on mind but it hurt too much to even think that this was the same man. Was she really getting what she wanted now? Was she finally getting the man whom she had always loved and pined after so much?

"_Hey Aki, do you know what is the most beautiful word in the English language?"_

_Aki shifted her head to face her brother and gave him a puzzled look. She looked carefree to him, he thought, as her eyelids still lingered from her nap a few moments ago. Short naps were all that she could manage now without waking up in terror. Frowning, Aki tried to squeeze her brain for an answer before shaking her head in defeat. "I don't know… 'Aki'?"_

"_No," chortled Tyki as he placed a hand over the young lady's head and messed her hair. "That would be Japanese, silly." _

_He liked the way the nightlight casted a certain sort of glaze over her hair, projecting a unique hue of __color that pleased his eyes. "And to think you used to spend so much time in school, girl," teased the young man as he smiled at the frown that deepened over the latter's features. "It's 'uxorious'" he whispered by the side of her ear, inhaling her sweet scent that he had been so accustomed to that he would feel out of place without it. _

"_I'm not your wife," she blushed, knowing well what it meant. Looking away, she tried to ignore the latter's stare on her which was so full of amusement. _

_Once again, Tyki burst into laughter before patting the latter's head goodheartedly. "I didn't say you were," he teased and enjoyed how Aki's face was dyed a deeper red. Placing a soft kiss on her chaste lips, he smiled. "But you're close to it."_

"_Whatever," muttered Aki as she kept quiet after a good long laugh with Tyki under those starry nights that they were now so used to, keeping her lips pursed when the sudden emotion struck her. Slowly, she carried Tyki's heavy hand, pried it open as the latter watched patiently to see what the girl was up to, and wrapped it around her neck._

"_Kill me," she ordered nonchalantly, her eyes glazed a little as she did so. _

_Initially his Noah had an impulse to heed her words, to wring out the life of such a human that he had so become to love. However, he failed the sudden loss of energy in his hand and the young man failed to do so. Instead, he only laughed and pulled her closer to him, smiling into her hair. "That would be committing suicide because I can't live without you," he assured her._

_Aki nodded absently-minded, her cheeks on the young man's shoulder, fitting well along the curves. Much as it was supposed to be, she could not help but to have the lingering thought that this man who failed to kill her now would live to regret it later on. _

So please, stop doing this to me.


	23. Your Love, Thank You

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

**-**_**Your Love, Thank You-**_

_A/N:_ Kaeda's background would be fully revealed here, and the relationship takes another step.

I'm quite uncomfortable with the long length- is it okay with you?

Sorry that thsi is a week late- school's really busy D:

_Do__ you know that feeling, Aki? _

_You know, that feeling when your heart shrivels and hurts to the exten__t where it drains it completely;_

_Leaving nothing other than a deep dull pain. _

_You would have wished to be dead then to __struggle trying to keep alive. _

_Struggling, struggling like fish out of wa__ter, except that death comes nowhere near. _

_Hey Aki, have you experience it before? _

_Because I'm sorry if you did, since it's only now that I know how much love can torment one._

The chilly sensation washed down her naked body, cleansing her confusion and frustration. It left a trail where it had begun, something that everything does. However water has a special ability. It is different. It will evaporate and be gone, unlike her evil deeds.

Lady Kaeda Amber could smell the fragrance of her soap as she rubbed it upon her skin. It made her feel more like a mere mortal, simple actions like that. Yet no matter how much she scrubbed, the stain of blood would never, never go off.

But she had never despised water. It was the solution to her problem, the remedy of disaster, and the knife to her life. _She recalled someone who was lighting her candle when it suddenly went off. Annoyed at her various failed attempts to relight the burning flame again, the young woman swept her finger across the table and the candle burnt its proud flames once again. Except that it was licking the floor this time round, devouring everything it could that laid in its path. It was uncontrollable, those green flames, so much so that even her tears could not cease those fire._

Water had the ability to kill, like her. Soon, her body would start to convulse strongly as it struggled against to break through the water surface. It would be a tedious fight but a short one. She hoped. _She heard the screams, as someone dragged her out of the mansion; people bustling around the area in their attempts to stop the fire. However the people inside could not be rescued, it was too dangerous they said, as they stood helplessly outside to witness and hear the shrieks and crashing sounds of falling debris. Soon, the horrible sound stopped. Soon, the fire did too. Soon, her heart ceased function. _

Then, her body would stop the transport of oxygen to her blood, draining in poison and toxic. _She left for the Black Order the very next day; a way to avoid the commotions and her own feelings. They trained her well and hard, never questioning her past. Yet the young woman could not help but feel homesick, returning home for a short visit barely three days later. That was she saw it- or them, whatever you classify those horrendous monsters._

Gradually, her body would start to relent, slowly giving up its fight because it knew that it would not work to keep on fighting. It never did, anyway. _The two horror-stricken skeletons were yelling straight down at her very own father, their shrieks all too familiar, resembling the two whom had lost their lives due to her foolishness. The creator was nowhere to be seen even though he would have enjoyed the scene of murder committed right before his eyes. Her legs struggled to move. It could not. Yet the blood never spilled, not on her father, anyway, even though she was a step too late. With crimson hair swaying along with the bloodied atmosphere, he defeated the two with a perfect shot, piercing their body together. _

Water would seep into her body, filling her lungs, her stomach, her everything. The aftereffect would come off as a relief, as the soul leaves the body for a better life. It would no longer be tied to this tragic Earth. Like love, it would have the key to unlock freedom. Except that she had lost it once and once again_. She remembered the kiss planted softly upon her forehead as she accepted the young lord's hand to mount off his horse that particular day. His voice was tender as he fetched her back home, telling her to take care and sleep tight for the night. She was to listen, wasn't she? Everyone has to sleep no matter how tiring or shocking a day would be. So shocking to know that the person she had so pinned for was just right there for her but she could not accept him. _

Kaeda took a deep breath and stepped out of her bath, which was an indication to her maids to start jostling around her. The thick mist from her bath now filled the void area in the bathing room, clouding the features of those around her. Then that was when she saw his image.

The young lady took a second look and stared hard. It could not been. Not him. It had been three years ago, but it was impossible not to recognize that soft tuft of black hair and large blue eyes.

_Brother_, she said under her breath, inaudible to the people around her. _Did they see him too?_

The image soon began to clear up such that she could now see every fine detail that she had so remembered on her younger brother. It was him, no doubt. An overwhelming urge came over Kaeda to approach the figure. However she could not. The young lady knew too well that these images often disappear when you go after them. Instead, she waited, waited for the image to do something; anything really. Then he began to speak.

"_Sister,"_ it said, his voice gentle and young as she had remembered. The young lady felt herself smiling. Words formed at the edge of her throat, yet it failed to come up. "_We really wish that you would be happy. It doesn't matter at all, just go please. Please go for your happiness. Duty or desire, it no longer matter."_

The young boy grinned sadly at her, before closing his eyes in satisfaction when he noted that his sister's composure finally sinking. It was her way of admitting. Slowly, his features began to fuse together, mixing reality and illusion together, until it mixed to a cauldron of nothing before disappearing.

"Our lady!" yelled the maids as they rushed to help up the fallen general. It must be the heat and ventilation, they asserted.

Kaeda shook her head sternly. Reassuring the others that she was fine, she requested for them to hasten their pace. As they did upon her orders, Kaeda took a second look back at where the image had been.

It was only the mirror. _Or was it?_

The young lady took a deep breath as her lady maid tightened her corset, and sighed out when she finally emerged from the bathing room. And there in her room she spied a crimson tulip tucked neatly between her bed sheets and that was the indication for her to go.

Excusing the maids out on the pretence of being tired, she picked up the sealed letter next to the tulip.

"_Baron Josepher Cornfield. Broker. To be assassinated for crime,"_ she muttered to herself before snapping her fingers together, bringing up flames that consumed the letter and flower. Thereafter, she casted the ash aside and leaped out of her room via her window.

_Ano__ther idiot born to this world; another monster that brings agony to this world. _

_

* * *

_

Tyki inhaled his cigarette deeply as he sat half soaking in the bathtub, thoughts playing in his mind about what the Earl had said. Obviously, he had allowed for the marriage to happen and so would have wanted it to be settled as soon as possible. The young man knew that it would be easier for Kaeda Amber to accept him now but a lingering thought still troubled him.

There was something indescribably different.

Shaking his head to knock off the silly thought, Tyki laughed at his redundant worry before climbing out of the bathtub, with water droplets still clinging to his body, refusing to let go.

The kiss he had left on her still throbbed on his lips. He knew he had fallen deep, and a part of him resented that. He had allowed someone to intrude the four walls he had so build around himself since becoming a Noah. He had allowed someone to reopen the trove of human memories since accepting the curse. But it did not matter anymore.

As Tyki allowed his servants to prepare his clothes, a smile cracked his lips apart. Now, he was ready to meet her again.

* * *

"Oh Lady Amber," said the aristocrat aloud as he tried to conceal his startled state to find the latter behind him out of the sudden. "It's really a surprise to see you here. How may I assist you?"

Kaeda allowed a polite smile over painted lips, her eyes blinking slow at the man while her emotions remained cool. "Everything," said the young lady. "But I think I would be a greater help to you instead."

"How so?" taunted the man as he gestured for the lady to sit down while he prepared some tea for her- there were no servants around.

"Like with what you have been doing for the past few months, Baron?" replied the lady as she accepted the cup of English tea from the young man.

The latter looked up in surprise. "So you have heard, my lady?"

"But of course," smiled Kaeda as she observed the man, sensing no regrets. No one else knew that they were meeting, of course, but she had to do this quickly. "I'm interested in this quick get-rich business you have."

The baron laughed hoarsely as he nodded. "Yes, yes, that's what I do to get additional income. But you see, it's a rather confidential and tricky business."

"How so?" questioned the young lady as she cocked her head a little, feigning ignorance.

The young baron roared in amusement before sticking his head close to Kaeda's, exhaling his darn breath close to her face. "The one in control meets only who he wants to, my lady. It's not everyone's choice and chance to get rich. Nonetheless, I make a good deal. You see, a broker has the ability to make everyone happy."

"I see. So you don't think that there's anything wrong with what you are doing then?" asked Kaeda as she tried hard to suppress the overpowering anger. Impatient, she began to tap her feet against the carpeted floor. The strong smell of rum in the man's breath and disgust of his face so near hers was choking her. "There's nothing wrong with getting quick money by killing others?"

The young baron clicked his tongue in disapproval as he removed his head from her curtly. Narrowing his eyes, he scrutinized her momentarily before shooting back. "You're not really interested in this business, are you? As far as I remembered, your butler had just died recently. I believe he had been a close confide to you. You know, with the help of my boss, I can help you bring him back, my lady."

Casting a piteous glance at the man, Kaeda could only shake her head. She began to fiddle with the two objects hidden in her boots, picking the normal black pistol. "Aren't you remorseful?"

"About?" The baron cocked his eyebrow, wary of the young lady. "I don't see what you're getting at. By doing this, I'm making everyone happy. This is a healthy cycle, don't you see? People dying would be brought back and I get to earn quick bucks too. It's a fortune, it's a miracle, and it's a blessing-!"

The man stopped suddenly as he felt a brutally cold object placed at the temple of his head. Alarmed, he stared at the young lady whom had already gotten off her seat. "What is this about, my lady? If you are not interested in this deal you can _always_-"

"Shut up," snapped Kaeda as she pulled the trigger of her gun, closing her eyes when she felt the man going limp. _This deal has to be off eternally,_ she thought, as she bent over the man to check for his pulse. Cold and dead, she noted, before leaping out of the gaping window.

_I'm sorry, Brother, sometimes duty does have to come first. _

_

* * *

_

"Kaeda dear," erupted a voice from seeming nowhere. The young lady stopped abruptly, looking around her tensely before noticing that it had come from an approaching carriage. Inside it was Lord Tyki Mikk waving at her with his signature grin. Smiling a little, Kaeda nodded her head slightly in response to his greetings. "I was just about to go Amber's estate to fetch you. What a pleasant surprise to see my lovely fiancée here."

"I…" stuttered Kaeda as she tried to brush her hair back. _Just her luck to meet him before she could get back home_, she thought. "I'm certainly glad to see my lord too."

Tyki smiled in amusement before offering his hand out to her. "Come, let's go somewhere."

The latter nodded her head awkwardly and accepted his hand as he helped her into the cabin. As the man sat facing her, he could not help but observe how her behavior. This was the woman. _Has she recovered from the truth?_ He pondered bemusedly before knocking against the wooden carriage for the chauffeur to start moving. The horse gave a little grunt before it begun trotting, and soon they were heading for their destination.

It had been three days since he last visited her, telling her the truth that shocked no one but herself. Indeed, it had upset and confused him why she had chosen the vagabond him inside of aristocrat side, but it soon dawned upon this young man that it would have been better this way. Now, she was back by his side again, sitting the exact same way she did when he first saw her, except that her eyes were now wandering everywhere but on him. Or so he thought.

"May I know where we are heading?" asked the young lady as she suddenly looked at Tyki, a confused expression hanged over her features.

Tyki chortled and glanced out of the cabin's window, suddenly remembering that she had readily accepted his invitation for a walk without really knowing where they were heading. He did, however, and had planned a surprise for her. "You'll see soon enough," replied Tyki and the pair fall into silence after that.

As the young lady observed, the carriage was now out of the city and was heading to the forest. An uncomfortable feeling seized her but she tried to suppress the urge to question his motives. They never questioned each other's motive before, _then anyway._

The sight of flaming trees soon came into, burning their sides when some of the branches grew close enough to them. This country was filled with maple trees. The young lady tried not to reach out for the maple leaves, and was startled when a deep laugh came from the other man.

"We'll walk from here, dear," chuckled Tyki as he signaled for the carriage to stop before leaping out of the cabin. Offering his hand out, he grinned when the blush on her face was noticeable. She had not change much, it seemed. With much tenderness, the young lady accepted his hand gracefully and stepped out of the carriage, and before she was conscious of her new surroundings yet, she come feel herself being dragged forward by the man. "Let's take a nice long walk."

Lady Kaeda Amber kept quiet, allowing the aristocrat to do whatever he deemed fit first. It had confused even herself whether she had accepted the latter's invitation due to her own emotions or her duties. Duty over desire; somehow it did not seem to apply here anymore, or was it?

As the pair strolled on the dirt pathway among the rows of glowing trees, Kaeda allowed herself to relax a little as she took in her surroundings. Maples; something that they so often viewed together. The vibrant colors of these leaves would allow them to take the back seat, allow them to drop their pretence for the time being and allow them to immerse in their emotions. The leaves, she observed, had just turned dark orange, with some portions of the leaves still lingering with a hue of yellow. Soon, they would fall**. Like stars and all things in the world, everything beautiful has to end no matter what.**

"I'm glad that we have stopped quarreling," said Tyki suddenly as he looked straight ahead, feeling pleased.

Kaeda nodded, unsure what to say. It was a deception, anyhow.

Tyki continued to divert his attention straight ahead, willing himself to trust the woman next to him and not look at her. It would be easier anyway, for a monster like him to say such things without looking at the person he wanted to both hurt and love so much. Laughing awkwardly, he spoke. "You know, I have always wanted to wake up with someone warm by my side."

Kaeda darted her gaze back at the young man who had spoke out of the sudden, realizing how his voice was all soft and sincere that it seemed to slide into her ears and finally travel down to stop her heart. _Did he possess such strong power?_ Feeling awkward, Kaeda smiled politely. "I do remember that Rhode has a dog, doesn't she?"

The young lord ignored her. "Someone who will welcome me from after a long day, asking after my day and making me glad that I'm home already," continued the man as he took in the sound of the rustling leaves surrounding them; and her beautiful voice, of course.

"I'm upmost certain that the dog would be delighted to see you home. Your family too, of course," answered Kaeda, wondering where this would lead to. The wind was howling around them, and as it brushed passed their ears, she could almost hear them mocking her. Or was it her mother encouraging her on?

Tyki sighed, noticing how small the maples this year were. Did they lack something in their lives to grow too? _"Someone whom I can comfort in and spends an eternity with..."_

"I…" muttered Kaeda but her voice soon trail off when she realized that it did not sound at all right. Feeling the blush on her face deepening, she was about to rephrase her words when the sight of him looking down at her caught her, and hence stole her breath. That sight was all it seemed to take for her to remember the alluring smell of his smooth skin, the strength in his tender arms and his soft moisture full on her lips.

"_Someone I can seal my destiny with_," continued Tyki as he fed her the words when his lips hovered over hers at the barest proximity. He enjoyed how those black eyes of her now looked straight into his amber ones, and wished for a brief second for them to be the old chestnut instead.

Plucking him from the overwhelming urge to just touch those soft pink lips, Tyki stepped back and kneeled down, taking one of her hands in his. With a small peck over her smooth knuckles, he looked down with a momentarily sign of boyish embarrassment and nervousness, as if uncertain and ridiculing himself for doing such a thing that only humans would do.

"I have not really done it formally, my lady," said the young man as he slowly looked up at Kaeda's surprised and confused state. Reaching into his pocket, he took out a small parcel in which he presented to the young lady. "I'll be there for you whenever you fall, Kaeda."

"_My lord,"_ gasped the latter mildly as she looked upon the ring that was supposed to bind lovers together so that they could enjoy eternal happiness. Words could not bring themselves together. The stone it held shone dazzlingly back at her, as if that was all it needed to attain happiness. Tyki took it upon his stride and slid the ring through her finger, glad for a moment that he had chosen the right size.

"I'll take care of you, no matter what the circumstances be," he ended off, sealing his breath with hers as he stood up, allowing the curves and lines of his lips to meet hers snuggly. It had come to Kaeda as a shock initially and had confused her too when her lips responded on its own, melting under his touch. As he moved his arms to embrace her even tighter, he could feel her trembling and hungry, craving for something that both of them yearned so much for so long. His tongue was now seeking entrance into her mouth, its tip probing hers little by little.

"Let's make this official to the gentry next week, Kaeda dear," he said in between, making sure that he would heed the Earl's words too. He felt a little nod from Kaeda and soon cast away his Noah identity, absorbed by the latter's affection.

_Was this all they needed to be happy?

* * *

_


	24. It Made Life Worthwhile

**Amber Memories, Forgotten**

_**-It Made Life Worthwhile-**_

_Violence only adds deeper darkness to a night sky already devoid of stars. _

_It is unable to drive out darkness as only light possesses the ability to do so. _

_And darkness is hatred, while light is love. _

_But what happens when the world is both already consumed by darkness?_

_Would our love be sufficient, Aki, when both of us tried to change the world?_

_

* * *

_

"Yo Brother," cheered the minister as he attempted a joyous kiss on the latter. "Lovely party you have here."

Lord Tyki Mikk glared at his older brother- one only connected to him be the Noah blood and curse, before feigning a smile. Sipping from his bubbly champagne, he chortled, "But of course. Look at the amount of people present and the publicity we are receiving. I'm sure you are upmost satisfied with this."

Sheryl Camelot laughed hoarsely as he too surveyed the area. It was grand and glamorous, nonetheless, with the top brass band hired and state-of-the arts facilities and decorations draped across the hall. Teasing, he then diverted his attention back to the younger man. "And you must be satisfied to finally get the lady's hand, I suppose?"

"Perhaps," said Tyki flatly, acting nonchalant. It was a different feeling, this engagement, something more than just feeling victorious- words could only fail to describe his emotions now.

"It's a good pair," smiled the minister as he placed an assuring hand on his brother's shoulder. The latter was often dwelling in his human emotions too much, he thought silently. Just then, someone caught his eyes. The lady drifted into the room with much flamboyant confidence, striding across the floor accompanied by her handsome partner. Before he knew it, the couple had already made their way towards the lady of the night- _Lady Kaeda Amber_. "That must be her sister, Countess Amber," admired Sheryl as he adjusted his monocles.

"Then I shall make my way to greet her," said Tyki, happy to get some personal space away from his brother, as he began to make his way through the crowd, smiling and waving at people he happened to pass by but not necessarily know. Such was the hypocrites of this gentry, such was the mask everyone had to put on since the day they entered society.

Countess Amber masked a smirk across her painted lips as her brother-in-law approached, noticing how the latter had instinctively placed his arms over her sister's shoulders. Blushing, Kaeda only smiled a little in response. The older Amber tried to suppress her amusement and teased. "Look who our dear flower has attracted, my dear."

"It's our honor to have your presence here, our dearest count and countess," greeted Tyki as flashed his signature grin on the two.

Catching on the laughter, the Count nodded his head in agreement. "The butterfly of this event, of course," he said before caressing his wife's cheeks lovingly with his thumb. Then, diverting his attention back to the engaged couple, he said in a joyous tone, "We're extremely glad for your invitation too, Lord Mikk. This is definitely an extremely grand engagement party you have here. I was afraid that my wife here would be envious of her little sister."

"I'm proud for her," protested the countess as she feigned a pout on her lips. "Even so, it's the honor of you men to have us as your spouse."

The group began to laugh in response, bubbling like the champagne in their flask.

"You should wait before you make your final judgment, Lord Mikk," teased the count as he flashed a cheeky grin at his wife. "Like fire, the Amber ladies are not to be trifled with."

Tyki chuckled gracefully in response, tightening his arms around his fiancée as he did so. "Then I guess we must be water, your lordship."

"Indeed," cheered the latter exuberantly, ignoring the protest from his wife. Then smiling back at his pretty spouse, the count gave an innocence pout. "Aren't we, honey?"

Count Amber stared at her husband in mocked disgust, clicking her tongue as she did so. Then she turned to face her sister and beamed joyously at her, a way of telling the latter that she was both proud and happy for her. Kaeda, amused despite herself, gave a tight smile in response and cast her glance down, nudging her elbow at her fiancé's waist.

"We've to attend to the other guests too, pardon us please. It had been wonderful time talking to you, but please do excuse us for the moment," said Tyki gracefully as he waved over at the waiters to serve the couple, hiding Kaeda's intention under his smile. "Do enjoy the party, nonetheless."

Countess Amber smiled graciously as she nodded her head in understanding, waving them off. "Sure, have fun," she sang while she accepted her husband's hand to head off.

"_Why the hurry,_" asked Tyki as he looked down at Kaeda with brief confusion when the two walked away, smiling and waving at times at the other guests. "I do believe that you two sisters have a strong relationship?"

"Indeed we have," muttered Kaeda as she diverted her gaze away from the latter, not wishing it to burn on him; or her sister, for that matter.

_I __just don't want her to see the sorrow from my eyes._

Tyki frowned as his eyebrows furrowed a little, unhappy with her reply but decided to make no comment on it. Yet the pressing feeling he got in his heart could never go away.

"There's Baroness Louche, my Lord. Pardon me while I welcome my friend," said Aki out of a sudden, and before Tyki could say a thing, the young lady had made her way discreetly through the crowd and away from him. It was at the moment, when he realized that perhaps things were not as simply as he would have assumed it to be.

_There is just some stuff __in the world that you cannot force to have your way; be it the stars in the world or lives that were meant to leave this earth._

* * *

"It's okay, I can manage from now on," answered Kaeda graciously to the knock on the door as she lifted the covers on her bed before deciding that she did not wanted to climb in just yet. Instead, the young lady sighed softly and headed to the wooden desk placed discreetly near the balcony, where the user would then be able to observe the scenery out there while preparing oneself for the day.

However, it was night time now, when the moon would cast its pale sickly rays over couples who were too intrigued by each other to even bother about the lack of light. From here, as she had once observed from Tyki's room, one was able to observe the beautiful diamonds dotted in the black background, shining despite the darkness. She was in one of the guestrooms this time round, since the engagement party ended too late and Minister Camelot would not hear of her traveling home late at night -_such concern coming from a Noah._

Laughing sarcastically, Kaeda propped herself against one of the armchair available and rubbed her temples a little even though it was too minimal to ease her discomfort. Her head was still spinning from the alcohol, the pretentious joy and the aching feeling of her heart every time her gaze ended up on her fiancé. He could have detected it, by the latter showed no obvious reaction about it. He was after all, a Noah in the gentry, one who was brilliant and masking his identity and feelings. _Yet why did he take to such a great extent to win her back?_

Her eyes closed at the thought of that, wanting so much to know the reason yet fearing to do so. The young lady was well aware that, deep in the midst of her heart, her feelings were still intact and attached to him. _Yet which 'him' was it supposed to be?_

"…_Lady,"_ said a voice suddenly, snapping Kaeda's thoughts like fire that crackles when it burnt against wood. The voice sounded muffled and low, so much so that she was unable to differentiate who it belonged to.

Just then, a solid thud landed heavily against the other side of the door; the side which she would never be able to see unless she opened herself to it.

Astonished, Kaeda quickly made her way towards the door, worried if something had happened to the servants._ They were humans, after all, no matter whom they served, _thought the young lady as she wrapped her fingers around the cool door knob, turning it hurriedly.

"_Are you okay-"_ asked Kaeda, her voice filled with formal concern but her words dangled halfway through when she felt herself pushed backwards, landing on the floor, flabbergasted. The body, whoever it is, positioned itself over her which forced her head to the side, unable to see who the intruder was. The door soon closed behind them, a soft click sealing the darkness within.

Before Kaeda could respond to the attack, she could feel herself being pulled up from the floor clumsily by a strong strength, and tossed onto the bed like a doll. Struggling to pick herself, her attempts failed when she felt herself pinned against the soft silken bed, the smell of alcohol overwhelming her. By now, she knew who it was. There could be no one else but him.

"_Lord Tyki Mikk, what do you think you are doing__? Get off-" _

Her words stopped abruptly as a heavy pressure sealed her mouth up coarsely, suffocating her with its strong alcohol smell. It shocked her nonetheless, when she realized that the man was insanely intoxicated. The young lady could feel his strong hands pushing down her shoulders, his hair carelessly all over her. His rough chin rubbed against her smooth one, and it occurred to her that it had been this way too when he forgot to shave at times when he was a miner. Was he really still the same Tyki? The coarse texture soon travelled down and around her neck, grazing her as it did so, pushing her chin upwards and towards the night sky. The stars were still shining innocently at them, as if bearing innocent witnesses to this abuse.

Kaeda could kill him right now and be done with the mission.

It would be most reasonable: A man came into her room and tried to rape her. Not knowing it was her drunken fiancé, the young lady shot at the man in fear. It was only when the lights came on that she realized that to her horror that she had killed the one whom she loved so deeply. Her gun was tied by her calf- _she always slept with it_, so all she need to do now was to find a way to reach and kill this man. It was Innocence after all, something that would kill monsters like this one. The blood would then spread across the white sheet, robbing the latter of its purity.

_It was just that simple. _

"Stop, my Lord," ordered Kaeda, her thoughts finally recollecting. The rough caressing persisted; aching her heart and scratching her skin as it did so. Something made her refrain from reaching her calf. The young lady tried to push the Noah back, exerting strength against the impossible weight. He was too physically powerful for her, darn. Out of frustration, her leg stuck upwards and hit the stomach of the man.

Tyki Mikk cringed in response, surprising Kaeda that such a kick would be sufficient to cause pain to a Noah like him. The young man fall by his side, caving into the bed beside her, his features engraved in pain. Stunned, Kaeda remained motionless as she observed him curling into a fetus position in his drunken state, innocent and pure in comparison to the attack he had attempted previously.

"My Lord," muttered Kaeda once again, uncertain how to react. The man did not react but instead only snuggled even closer beside her, as if he was no more but a young boy in need of a big mug of warm milk and love. The lines on his face were smoothening out slowly, as the latter drifted in to slumber.

Kaeda stared in disbelief but was soon too overpowered by the serene atmosphere of the night. Her fingers moved over her hair and attire, adjusting her ruffled composure as she tried to straighten everything again. As she did so, the young lady could hear a soft mumble bubbling from the man's thin lips. Curious, Kaeda bend over his face and her heart could only skip a beat when she heard his barely audible words: _Aki. _

Kaeda instinctively moved her head away from his, her heart thumping painfully against her chest. **How much love do you think would be sufficient to really break through the boundary of reality and the change the world? **The man beside her shifted a little from his sleep, casting his chin even lower. Unconsciously, Kaeda brought up her fingers beside his cheeks, before gently pushing away some of his curls from his face. It was that same geography of his face, she noted. Even though he was a Noah, there were crosses missing. _Were these signs that…?_ As she stroked her fingers gently on his stubble that was beginning to grow out again, Kaeda found herself moving closer and closer to the man's warmth. Unable to break the strong pull from his, her lips trembled as it hovered over his before allowing minimal contact with his.

"Aki."

The soft kiss soon melted into a deeper one, one caused by the awakened man who reciprocated the tender contact, drawing her closer as he slowly roused from his sleep to kiss the young lady over. His hands, cupping her cheeks and the round of her shoulder, slowly maneuvered the latter as she lied on the bed this time round.

Protesting a little, Kaeda pulled the man towards her before rolling over him. As the young lady gazed down at Tyki, she willed herself to take in every detail of the man, remembering the man as the one she loved and not the one she had to murder one day. Tyki, confused but amused by her pause, stretched out his hands to brush her cheeks ever so lovingly, before placing his large hand at the back of her head to lower her face to his. He gazed deeply into her eyes, both loving and hating the confused fire still held within.

Kaeda casted her gaze downwards, embarrassed that he could see through her like that. Instead, she placed her lips slowly over his as her hands roved over on his chest, twisting each button open as if that was all she needed to see the core of him.

That was when she saw the deep scar that spread itself across him, forming a cross that was centralized to his right size, perhaps missing his heart by just a little. It was still recovering; damage obviously caused by Innocence. Aching with love, her lips placed itself over the scar, moving along the cursed line. The tip of her tongue touched him when she did so, wishing that that was it would need to heal. Yet Tyki could only twitch at such a gentle touch, embarrassed even, that it hurt him so much.

"_Who…?"_ asked Kaeda softly, her words lingering over his skin when she articulated her words.

Sighing, Tyki only looked away as he brushed his hand through her long head, silence consuming the darkness.

"_Allen Walker_," he finally confessed with his voice barely audible. It made him wondered, at such a time, why he was willing to admit such a foolish mistake.

Kaeda frowned as she looked back up into his amber eyes, finding the name familiar. _It_ _was the circus boy she saw with Mariam Cross_, a voice in her head alerted her, making the young lady paused a little too long.

Tyki, worried that he had made the latter worried, stroked the top of her head, brushing her long black hair. His Noah was acting up when she fawned over his scar, he noticed. Abruptly, Tyki lifted the young lady up and positioned himself over her instead. Looking at her, he was affected by how sad her features were, mirroring his image. Frustrated, Tyki buried his head in the curl of her shoulders, before kissing her neck roughly. Despite the discomfort, Kaeda only bit her lips as she allowed the Noah to abuse her anyway he wanted, allowed the debonair to unwrap her, allowed her fiancé to pull himself in. His kisses lingered over every inch of her skin, leaving trails of love all over her. Kaeda could feel him biting her skin every now and then, abusing her a little at times. They were both hungry, drunk in their passion and unwilling to let go.

Hands moving wildly around her every curve, it was as if Tyki had been so afraid of losing her. His fingers travelled down the arc of her spine, feeling her tingling under his every touch. As he moved down, Tyki crawled slowly and caressed her inner thigh, feeling her skin rippling under his. Kaeda shuddered as his large hand stroked across her outer thigh, and across the burnt mark that had been caused by her incident. Yet the latter only bend down to kiss it as she had done his, allowing his thumb to stroke the textured skin. Soon, he allowed a finger or two to slide within her, causing a moan to escape from her lips.

Then he was inside her; his rhythm fast. It did not matter at this moment who was who anymore. What matter the most was how their fingers remained intertwined with each other when the two of them finally melted.

_Please do not leave me again. _

* * *

_When I was just a child__, I used to rouse from sleep in the middle of the night to recall bits and pieces of my craziest dreams from kicking autumn leaf piles, to eating lots melted of ice-cream with my siblings without even feeling nausea, to even just fly in the sky without anything form of assistance. I would wake up with the smell of sweet sweat in my hair or have clumps of clouds stuck to my clothes like candy floss till the realization hit upon me that I was somewhere from far that. And not matter how hard I would try, I could not force myself back to the dream that I had been in. _

_Yet on this special night that he and I spent together, I woke up with him in my arms to find him still asleep. I traced the landscape of his face, from the sharp hill of his nose to the distributaries in his ear. And for the first time in my life after I closed my eyes, I was able to drop back into the same cloud that I had left in my dream. Or would it be?_

"Aki!" yelled the young man as he suddenly woke up in bed to find the place beside him in bed empty. Combing his hair back, he looked around in search for the very one he had been dreaming of. Sweat of confusion formed on the flat of his temple as his eyes darted around, and he tried to climb out of bed. Light was already streaming in from the balcony.

"Quiet down," hushed the familiar voice as it appeared from the changing corner, with Kaeda looking back at him. "_If the others hear us…"_

Tyki Mikk stayed motionless momentarily, uncertain what to do. Suddenly, he crackled into soft laughter before getting out of the bed and crossing over to her. _He had been afraid, too afraid for his own liking that she would leave him once again,_ thought the young lord. Then the debonair chuckled when he noticed that Kaeda was looking away at the sight of his full frontal.

"This happened when you stayed over with us for the first night too, eh," teased the young man as he stood upon the young lady before deciding to grab a towel to wrap the bottom half of him up. Heaving a sigh when he realized that Kaeda would not be replying him other than giving him a slight nod, he crossed the distance set between them and pulled her close into his embrace, inhaling the scent of her hair. "Thank you for staying with me," he said into her hair, something grateful yet sounding like an order too.

"_It's my honor,"_ muttered Kaeda as she lifted her chin up to hold his gaze, before tipping her toes up to plant a kiss over his dry lips. She parted the kiss before Tyki was about to deepen it, and chose to look in the direction of the door. "You should go soon, lest the servants find you here, _my Lord."_

Tyki gazed down at his fiancée, his legs refusing to move until the latter nudged at him to go. Grabbing his clothes, the young man dressed hastily before heading for the door.

"Good morning," whispered Kaeda as she went over to open the door for him, giving the latter a tight smile that exhausted her lips. She smiled once again when Tyki took her by her hand and pecked her fingers, pressing his lips to the cold ring that bound her fourth finger.

"You are very close to your family, aren't you," asked the young man out of the blue as she stared in shock at him. Smiling, Tyki pulled out a chain from pocket, revealing a pendant. When he clicked it open, the pendant opened into half, revealing a young picture of a complete family. "You left this in my pocket. That is something you can't forget, ain't it?"

_It was to remind me of the sin I never should have committed, _thought Kaeda as she took the chain back, her trembling fingers barely able to hold it tight.

"Be sure to add me in there too," teased Tyki as he finally made his way out, his soft laughter dancing across the corridor.

"I was just thinking too much," thought Tyki to himself as he walked out into the corridor, a pleased grin plastered over his lips. The wooden door separated the two at this very moment, both unable to see each other anymore.

Perhaps it would be better. It would be better for him not to see her crumbling to the floor like fallen ashes, smacking her head against the hard wooden surface as her hands curled into a fist around the pendant. Stains formed on the carpeted floor, barely evaporating when another pair fell, as if one could never bear the presence of the other.

_How could I forget about my mission to kill you in order to wash away my sin?

* * *

_

A/N:_ Sorry for the two-weeks delay, hope this chapter is long enough to repay back. I'll be on hiatus like Hoshino as I have no more backup chapters to post D: sorry, holidays are coming back soon, so i will be able complete the remaining 3 chapters! (:  
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